Darkness Falls
by Cobray
Summary: *COMPLETE and alternate ending uploaded* Aurikku. Unsent and alone among Spirans, Rikku needs a reason to remain among the living. Will she be able to find solace with a certain ex-monk, or is the pull of the Farplane too great?
1. Darkness Falls

A darker version of the meeting between Rikku and the gang.

I can either make this a series, or a one-shot fic, you decide.

This fic will eventually tie into the timeline of **Diamond Dust** (my first fic), so if you want it to be a multi-chapter story, you gotta tell me now!

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**Darkness Falls**

Rikku looked into the depths of the Machina, and turned to her brother, who was leaning against the siderails of the scavenger's deck.

'You sure this things safe?' She asked nervously. He smiled at her and waved.

'Perfectly, I checked it out myself.' he replied.

'Against fiends?' She asked.

'Rikku, don't worry! I went down over 1 mile with this thing and blew up some fish-fiends with it. It's _ safe_.' Rikku still looked skeptical.

'Bro, these are _ guardians_ we're going up against, not fish.' She said testily.

It always surprised her brother, how Rikku's demeanor changed so drastically when they were out here. Anywhere else, she was so cheerful they had to hold her down, yet around anything to do with both water and metal in the same area she was always twitchy. Not that he could blame her, it was _his_ fault she was like that. Him and his itchy lightning-finger. He looked across at the large Machina. He had lovingly hand-crafted it over the last year to run salvaging operations in deep water, and then his father Cid had ordered weapons put on, 'just in case', and now they were sending his little sister to fetch a summoner in it! One day that man's impulsive nature was going to get someone hurt. he had asked to be the one to go, but Rikku had been chosen instead, she _was_ the summoner's cousin, Cid had reasoned, and maybe that would make being kidnaped a _little_ easier to bear. he sighed at the teenager. 'For the love of... Rikku, it'll be fine. Trust me! We installed a safety precaution. Look, you see the place where you sit? Next to it is the escape button, you press that, and these clamps disengage, and the cockpit drifts to the surface, and all you have to do is step out!' He said , gesturing to several pieces of machinery around and inside the craft.

'Fine.' Said Rikku. 'But don't blame me when I come back all bruised and miserable!'

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Rikku climbed into the machina. From the outside it had looked quite spacious, but from inside it was incredibly cramped, the various machinery taking up most of the parts. _Now_ she knew why Cid had _really_ chosen her to go get the summoner, no-one else would fit in this blasted thing. She heard her brother's voice over the speaker near her cheek.

_*Rikku, you hear me?*_

'Fine!' She replied. 'But next time, I build the ship and you drive it!' She shouted, She heard the mechanics laughter even through the several inches of metal surrounding her.

_*We'll see.*_ She heard him say. _*This thing won't transmit properly over a few meters, once you're in the mouth of the Moonflow, you're on your own!*_

'Gotcha!' She said fake-cheerfully. _Great. No space, and no company either..._ Then the entire ship shook, telling her that her brother had disengaged the clamps holding the craft/ship/boat in place, and she saw the water start to occlude the viewscreen. when the boat was completely submerged, she slowly took the guidance stick in her right hand, pressed the button for 'engines forward' and began her slow journey into the Moonflow. She only hoped her cousin hadn't crossed yet. 

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The plan was simple, another Al Bhed would be waiting at the Shoopuf crossing for Yuna to cross with her Guardians. He would abduct the summoner, who was known to have little aptitude for hand-to-hand combat, and take her down to Rikku's craft, where Rikku would engage what could only be described as a huge air bubble, and begin the journey back to the salvage ship, over 1 mile away. Simple. But only if she got their first.

The ship groaned, and Rikku looked up at the metal over her head. It had been making strange noises over the past twenty minutes, and she dared not go any deeper, lest the ship implode in on her. She had begun to have serious doubts about the sea-worthiness of this machine. _Safe my ass. When we get back, I swear I'm gonna kill you bro._ She looked up just in time to see the sun nearly run into the spire.

'Woah!!' She grabbed the controls, and angled sharply to the left, pushing back on the throttle. She stopped only a few inches from the strange underwater point. _What the..._ Rikku looked at it, and caught something on the periphery of her vision. She strafed the sub past the obstruction to get a better look at it, and what she saw took her breath away. _It's a city!_ She could see, where the Moonflow became deeper, a veritable mountain of buildings and houses, buried underwater. She was amazed, she hadn't known about this, no-one had told her, which meant only one thing; _Machina city! _She thought gleefully. She imagined the salvage they could get from this place, it looked almost untouched. She lost track of time, and when she saw the riverbed angle sharply upwards, she stopped. She was at the Shoopuf crossing. All she could do now was wait.

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Rikku was about to quit and go home when she heard the vibrations of the Shoopuf crossing.

_About time!_ She thought angrily. _Can't you pilgrimage a little faster!_ She began the process of powering up the craft's air bubble, that would sustain Yuna throughout the journey back to the salvage ship.

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She was still waiting ten minutes later when Latryn finally came down from the surface, carrying an unconscious Yuna in his arms.

_Man, you have got to learn how to treat a lady._ She thought to herself as she angle towards the man in the water. He approached her and went over her cockpit, out of sight, deposited Yuna inside the bubble. He turned to her, and she looked at him as if to say; _about time!_ He began to swim off. His part in the mission was done. Phase 1: Capture The Summoner accomplished. Phase 2: Get The Hell Out, in progress. Rikku began to turn away towards the direction of the open sea when she saw 2 small shapes barreling towards her out of the water.

_Guardians, great._ She thought. She turned back and used the control panels she had been taught to launch some missiles out of the ship. They weren't really missiles, but Rikku hadn't bothered to learn the correct term for them. To her disappointment (but not her surprise) they just dodged around them and kept coming at her. That made her wonder whether they were blitzers. _Fine. You wanna mess with Rikku, you pay the price!_ She turned around to face the two Guardians, and prepped her ship for combat.

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This was not going well. No matter how hard she seemed to hit them, they just seemed to shrug it off, heal each other, and continue the attack. It didn't help that there was two of them, and only one of her, and she couldn't very well get out an conduct repairs on her ship in the middle of a battle.

She swivelled her craft and launched some more missiles. It didn't help that she only had five left, plus two depth charges. Her brother had obviously not banked on her getting into a serious scrape in this thing. She targeted the nearest Guardian and fired off 2, hoping to at least distract the other one from trying to peel open her engines. The blonde-haired one saw them coming and rolled under the first one, then turning to watch it's passage. He turned back just in time to be confronted by a faceful of compressed air, and Rikku saw she saw his eyes go wide as he was engulfed in a localized maelstrom. The other one behind her noticed this, and went to heal his companion, momentarily (and foolishly) ignoring the armed Al Bhed craft behind him. Rikku loosed two of her last three missiles, scoring a direct hit on the Guardian. When the bubbles cleared he was, amazingly, still standing (well, treading water). he turned back to the craft with anger in his eyes. Rikku fired her last missile at him, hoping to finish him off. At least, she tried to. The man threw his Blitzball (_Who uses a sports-ball for a weapon?_ She thought incredulously) at the missile port. It hit dead on and stopped in the missile tube. As the missile left it's rack and began to travel down the guide, it suddenly found it's way blocked by a large object, and did exactly what it was supposed to do when it happened across large objects in it's path. _Oh cred..._ Rikku thought. Then the missile exploded. Half the ship's was torn away, 

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Wakka watched the Al Bhed craft sink to the bottom, and turned back to Tidus. The boy was in bad shape, and being hit with one of the heathen's weapons wasn't good for him. He reached into his overalls and withdrew a potion, throwing it onto the young blitzer. Tidus instantly regained use of his limbs. He turned about, and noticed Wakka, and gave him a thumbs up. Wakka returned the gesture. The older Guardian turned back towards the Al Bhed ship, and immediately his eyes opened wide. _Yuna!_ He thought. he began to swim frantically down towards the ship. Seeing Yuna lying in some kind of sphere, only designed to keep water out, not in, he grabbed her, and began to swim towards the surface, Tidus following behind.

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Rikku watched the three people move towards the surface. She was still seething about being beat. _ Brother, when I get back, we're going to have words._ She thought towards her brother, miles away and waiting for her return. Sighing, she turned to look outside as the ship settled on the bottom of the Moonflow. The creaks were growing more ominous now, and leaks were starting to appear. Rikku was not worried however. 

Turning, she pressed the button that her brother had indicated as the escape button, to disconnect the cockpit from the main body of the craft. She heard the explosive bolts fire along the hull of her ship. She waited for the cockpit bubble to come loose. This did not happen.

Metal, and especially metal only a few inches thick, cannot last too long under the constant pressure of masses of water above it. Rikku's craft had been salvaged itself from another similar ship, and the designers had failed to take into account that the original craft had itself sunk. Add to that the damage sustained in the fight against the two Guardians, it was already on the verge of failure. The explosive bolts provided the last push. Instead of pulling away from the rest of the ship, the cockpit bubble cracked slightly. This changed the shape of a underwater craft that required a perfect circle to function, and it didn't hold.

Rikku only had time for one last thought, as the sphere imploded, centered exactly where the young girl was sitting.

_Brother, you were wrong..._

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As Yuna regained her seat, Wakka heard the noise on the edge of his hearing. Leaning back over the water, he saw the Al Bhed craft collapse in on itself in a small storm of air and water bubbles. He said a short prayer to Yevon for its occupant, if any. The Al Bhed were notorious for having those clever machines that could pilot themselves, and he wouldn't put it past them to use a craft with no pilot. He turned back to the others, and did not bother himself with those thoughts again. 'How long till the shore?' He asked.

'Aboot thurty minoots.' The driver said in his strangely-distorted voice. Wakka leaned back in his seat, put his arms behind his head, and tried to get some sleep. 

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Rikku awoke in darkness, and screamed. She was underwater, in a metal tomb molded to her exact shape. She immediately shut her mouth to avoid losing oxygen. She struggled, and only just had enough room to move her arm down to her side. She reached into her leg-satchel, and withdrew something spherical and shiny. _Calm down calm down calm down. You've been in worse situations than this before._ She willed herself to pull the pin on the grenade, and shut her eyes tightly.

A blinding flash erupted around her eyes, and white-hot pain rushed through her nerves from her leg to her brain, demanding her attention _now._ Rikku attempted to ignore them. She opened her eyes, and the sight that greeted her warmed her heart. Light. She could see the surface through the now ruined outer shell of the cockpit sphere. She wormed her hands free, scratching and tearing flesh as she worked against the jagged edges. Rikku got her arms free, and tried to pull herself out. It was getting dark again, and this time she knew if she fell into darkness she would never climb out. She worked her legs, struggling to get them out of the crushed metal coffin.

After a few seconds she managed to force herself out of the ruined ship, and she began to kick towards the surface with her one good leg. Her lungs were on fire now, and she was desperately clawing for the surface. when she put her hand forward and met no resistance, it was like the breath of life. Her head broke the surface and she gasped air. For some reason it hurt to breathe. Rikku put it down to lack of oxygen. She resisted the temptation to laugh out loud. _In your face Guardians!_ She thought happily to herself. She walked up to the riverbank, ignoring the pain. After she had traveled about fifty meters, the adrenaline started to fade. She began to falter, and collapsed onto her knees. She noticed the pain in her chest, and looked down. 

Then she noticed the large shard of metal sticking out of her chest. Directly over her heart.

Rikku blinked, and put reached her fingers out to her chest to touch it. Even though she knew better, she began to try and tug it out. She started to weep. _No, not like this! I'd survived! It's not FAIR!_ Her vison started to blur, and she began to wrench at the meal imbedded in her heart. This only caused more pain, but at this point she didn't care. Finally she pulled it free, and the pain made her scream a final death-rattle to the air as her blood poured out onto the soil. She looked at the large metal spike in her hand with an odd detachment. As the pain began to ebb, Rikku finally accepted that she was going to die. Using the last of her strength, she lowered herself to the floor, lay on her side, put her head under her hands, and closed her eyes as the darkness reached out and claimed her.

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Tidus was the first one to leave the crossing-station. He wandered away from the others, not wanting to be drawn into the crowd who were standing around Yuna and asking her how she was. He couldn't explain it, but he was worried. He could have swore, when he and Wakka were fighting that Machina, he had saw someone he knew within it. It was bothering him now. Wakka had told him not to worry about it though, and he was trying not to. That they had tried to kidnap Yuna helped that somewhat. The fact that he had left first meant that he would be the one to find the trail. He turned a corner in the path, that lead out to a small embankment (it was too small to classify as a shore), and stopped dead. It wasn't the scenery that stopped him though, but the trail of what was unmistakably blood leading away from it.

'What the..!' he exclaimed. He started to walk quickly along the trail. Then he heard a scream, and he started running.

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Khimari's head snapped around as the scream echoed through the vicinity. Everyone stopped and turned to look, some shivered. They knew what they were listening to. He started towards Yuna, in case anything should happen to her. Lulu was the first to notice what was wrong.

'Where's Tidus?' She asked quickly. Auron looked up from his leaning posture against the side of the Shoopuf platform.

'He went ahead.' He stated simply. Yuna looked at him, scared. Auron looked back, and then began to move off. 'That was no man's scream.' He said before he walked away. The others ran to catch up.

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The first thing that occurred to him when he found her was that he had never seen so much blood. He resisted the urge to vomit right there on the spot and approached the girl. She was unmistakably dead. No-one could lose so much blood, have wounds like that, and be alive. He reached out to touch the body, and got the shock of his life. The girl's left hand came up and grabbed him around the shoulder. He looked at her face, and nearly screamed. Green spiralled eyes stared into his. The girl shouldn't even be alive, yet she was looking at him like he was some kind of demon. She opened her mouth, and Tidus had to put his ear right up against it to hear her plea.

'Help... me...' She said. He heard a scream behind him, and a whispered 'Yevon...' He turned, and saw the others looking at the girl with expressions of horror, terror, concern, and indifference, depending. Yuna ran over to the two, and nearly lost her footing, the ground slippery from the young girl's blood. She knelt down beside them, took out her staff, and immediately began to cast healing spells on the girl. After the first few, she had managed to staunch the flow of blood, and the girl looked at them with eternal thanks in her eyes. Then her eyes opened wider, with something akin to recognition. 'Cous... Tid...' She began, but Yuna cut her off.

'Shhh. Stay still. It's going to be alright.' Yuna had a wonderful bedside manner, even laying on the ground next to a stream, surrounded by liters of blood. Tidus got up and walked towards the stream to wash off, sensing he was no longer needed. He went back to he others. No-one spoke, although Wakka was retching in a corner.

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_Wha...? What happened? Whose is all this blood?_ Rikku was confused and scared. She tried to move, but her chest burned with fire when she tried. She lay back, and looked up at the person who was seeing to her. Who it was nearly shocked her back into unconsciousness.

_Tidus! Yunie!_

Then she blacked out anyway.

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Yuna walked over to the others. Tidus looked over from the tree he was leaning against. 'Well?' He asked quietly. Yuna just looked at the ground.

'She's lost a lot of blood, she's got a hole in her lung which I mended, leg wounds, the flesh on her arm has been nearly gouged off, I can fix all those, but I can't do anything about the hole over her heart. If she lives, she'll have trouble with that for the rest of her life. By all accounts, she shouldn't even be alive now.' Auron looked up at that, but said nothing.

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They reached Guadosalam at dawn, Khimari carrying the young girl in his arms for most of the journey. Yuna refused to give up. She told the inn owner that he _would_ give this girl a bed. He had refused at first, but the twin towers of Auron and Khimari standing either side of Yuna had put paid to any arguments he might have had about the 'heathen' Al Bhed. Yuna stayed up casting spells and using potions the entire night. Tidus had agreed to stay by the bed at night, monitoring the girl in case anything untoward happened.

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Rikku awoke back in the submarine. She screamed again, she couldn't breathe. The craft was vibrating, shaking her around as it crushed her in it's death-embrace. She heard a voice, and opened her eyes. She found herself not underwater, drowning in a metal coffin of her brother's making, nor bleeding to death on the Moonflow's shores, but in a room with soft lighting and wooden walls, being held by the shoulders by the boy she had met before, before Sin had attacked them. She settled back down, and shut her eyes. The last thing she heard before she fell asleep, finally free from pain, if only for a while, was the boy speaking to her in an incredulous tone;

'You're... not dead?'

_Guess again._

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Do I make this a one-shot or a series? You'll have to decide, please tell me in your review.


	2. What Am I?

Well, serial it is then...

Events of the game will be changed, only slightly, but changed. Just so you know.

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**Darkness Falls**

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**Chapter 2: What Am I?**

Rikku awoke the next morning to find Tidus on a chair next to her, his head slumped over his hands. The first thought that came to her was; _He's alive!_ She tried to stir the boy but found that she couldn't move her arm. It must have been strapped down or something. She was aware of a pain in her chest but ignored it. _Must be cramp or something..._ She thought, and climbed out from under the covers to see where she was. She immediately hit her head on a big piece of wood. _Only one place_, she thought, _has curved wall. Damn it! Why Guadosalam? Of all the places to wind up..._

She walked out of her small room and saw a Guado standing near the doorway. He (_I think..._) looked across at her. His eyes opened wide and his mouth gaped. he ran out of the small room shouting in Guado for someone called Lulu. She frowned, surely she wasn't _that_ ugly. She ached all over. _What the hell happened to me?_ She asked, she went to rub her stomach with her hands and stopped dead. She was covered in bandages. _Uh-oh._ She began to panic.

_Then_ she remembered what had happened.

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The Guado boy Lulu had asked to watch over the girl ran in babbling. Lulu looked up at him and arched her eyebrow. 'Hello, I hope you slept well. Now say all that again.' The Guado took a few deep breaths and began to tell her. Lulu's eyes widened. _ Awake? And walking around? Not possible..._ 'Are you sure?' She asked him. The Guado boy just nodded. Wakka walked into the room, having heard the conversation through the inn walls.

'What's up?' he asked sleepily.

'The girl is awake.' Lulu said simply. Wakka looked at Lulu questioningly.

'Already?' He asked.

'Apparently. Wake up the others. Auron said he wanted to speak with her.' Wakka walked off to rouse the others from their sleep. All except Yuna, who was sleeping so soundly it was hard to tell she was alive.

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_No..._

Rikku sat on the floor of the inn, hands wrapped around her knees.

_No._

She looked at herself in the mirror across from her. Her legs, hands, and chest were wrapped in bandages. A long roll of it ran from sown her face from her right temple, down the right of her right eyes, and, from what she could feel, all the way down, like someone had folded and creased along an imaginary dotted line.

_NO._

_What am I?_ She asked herself. Her rational mind was screaming the answer at her but she did not want to acknowledge the truth.

_'NO!'_

Tidus woke up with a start, hand already moving towards his sword-handle. He looked across, scanning amateurishly for threats. He noticed Rikku sitting on the floor and his eyes immediately widened, in concern or shock she didn't really want to know.

_I'm..._

'Hey.' He said quietly. She tried to reply, but all that came out was a thin rasp.

'Hi...' She managed. He started to say something when the door opened and a woman in a long black dress wrapped with belt buckles walked in. Her eyes immediately went wide. _what is it with these people? Have they never seen injuries before?_ She wondered, irritated. The woman walked over to her and looked into her eyes.

'How are you?' She asked.

'I'm...' Rikku began, but was cut off.

'Don't try and speak, your throat got damaged in the... whatever it was happened to you.' Rikku remembered the submarine, the sphere as it imploded and folded in on itself, in onto _her. Possible._ Rikku thought. Then the others came in. A man in a large red coat in sunglasses, a Ronso, a man in a yellow blitzba... _You!_ Rikku screamed silently. A woman in a white dress... _Yunie!_ Rikku silently thanked the other two for getting her out of harm's way. Even if...

_I'm..._

Yuna walked up to her and knelt down beside her. 'Who are you?' She asked quietly.

'Rikku.' She replied.

_Dead..._

'How are you?' She asked.

'Hurts...' She gasped, before another jolt of pain stabbed her in the chest. She doubled over even further, and Yuna went to catch her.

'You're going to be OK Rikku. The wounds will heal. There will be scars (_You got that right..._ Rikku thought to herself), but everything will heal.' She stood back up and went over to Lulu, who was standing nearby, holding a potion in case anything untoward happened.

_I'm..._

_Unsent..._

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'You're not going to tell her?' Lulu said.

'She doesn't need to know yet.' Yuna replied. Usually cheerful, Yuna was completely serious now. Never a good sign.

'It's her body. You should tell her.'

'I don't know how...' Yuna said, biting her nails.

'Let me do it.' Lulu said.

'Later.' Yuna said warningly.

'OK. Look after her.' Lulu replied, just as serious. Just then a knock cam at the door, and everyone looked away from Rikku with the exception of Lulu. Another knock came.

'Enter.' Said Auron gruffly. The door opened and Tromell walked in.

'Greetings, bear a message from Maester... My God!' he whispered, noticing Rikku. Auron stood in between them, shielding the nearly-catatonic Al Bhed girl from the old Guado's gaze.

'An accident. She will recover. Please continue.' Tromell just nodded and carried on as if he had forgotten the scene behind Auron.

'Maester Seymour wishes to speak with the Lady Yuna.' Yuna looked at him, eyes opened wide.

'A summons? Whatever could it be I wonder?' She asked. 'But I can't...' Auron took Yuna's shoulder and whispered in her ear.

'Lulu can take care of the girl, we must go.' Yuna looked around and saw Lulu bent over Rikku, whispering words of encouragement in her ear. She looked up, smiled, and nodded at her. Yuna nodded back, then turned to Tromell.

'Very well. Give me a minute please.' She looked at Auron, who got the hint immediately. Auron looked over at the others, and motioned after Yuna, and all save Lulu walked out and followed Yuna to the Maester's mansion.

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Rikku lay on the floor. She was aware on the edges of her consciousness of 'Lulu' talking in her ear, but she couldn't hear.

_Unsent..._

'What?' Lulu asked. 'What was that? I didn't hear...

'Nothing.' Rikku said, then louder; 'Nothing.'

'You were in the Al Bhed ship weren't you?' Yuna asked.

'Yes...' Lulu and Yuna both shivered, then had heard the explosion. To be trapped in a space barely bigger than yourself, underwater, with darkness all around, and then to have your metal vehicle collapse on you. Neither wanted to know what it was like.

'Who are you?' Lulu asked, ever the practical one.

'Rikku bein-Cid.' She replied. Yuna gasped.

'Cid is your father?' She asked.

'Yes.'

'The you're my...?' Rikku actually smiled at this.

'Yes...' Yuna sat back and looked at her.

'Why are you here? Why did you try to kidnap Yuna?' Lulu asked. Rikku looked across at her, begging her to understand.

'I don't want her to die! I want to protect her!'

'From who?' She asked.

'From Yevon!' She nearly shouted, and her throat burned, and she fell silent. Yuna looked at her, as if thinking, then she seemed to make up her mind. _I can only imagine what it must have felt like, and you did it to try to protect me? All this, the scars, are because of _me._ Rikku, I'm sorry I did this to you._

'Rikku, there is another way to protect me you know...'

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'What'dya think they're talking about?' he asked Auron.

'That if their business, if we need to know, we will find out when they tell us.' he replied stoically. Just then Yuna walked out, and lulu walked out a few seconds later, looking noticeably even less cheerful, which was saying something. All eyes turned on them, and Tromell gestured towards the mansion, but Yuna raised her hand. _Wait._ the Guado merely nodded, understanding the unspoken command, and he walked away.

'I have decided... to make Rikku my Guardian...' She said. Tidus gasped. Auron merely looked resigned. Khimari showed nothing whatsoever.

'Are you sure?' Auron asked. Yuna nodded.

'Yes.'

'Fine.' Said Auron, and walked away towards Tromell.

'what happens now?' Asked Tidus. It was Lulu who replied.

'We wait. When Rikku recovers enough, we move on to the thunder plains.' She said. Tidus nodded, and walked off, following Auron and Tromell. Yuna followed. Lulu walked off, glancing back once to look at the in where the young girl stayed.

_May Yevon send you rest girl. You're going to need it._

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_What happens to me now? A g_uardian!_ Me, an Al Bhed1 This has gotta be a first!_ She smiled slightly at that. Pain shot through her body and she lay down on the bed. 

_What am I? What happens to me? Has this every happened to anyone before?_ As thoughts of death and rebirth ran through her mind, Rikku lay down and closed her eyes. She fell asleep almost at once. Falling asleep would never be a problem for her again. As she drifted off, she remembered Lulu's last words before she had woken out.

_The wound in your heart... The metal spike, we couldn't take it out, it's too close, you'll have it 'till you die._

She fingered the wound as she drifted off. The events of the last two days. Dying, living again (_How?_ She thought to herself), waking up among both old and new friends. She would carry the memories of this day with her forever. She felt over her chest and pressed down, ignoring the pain, and near her heart she felt a large shard of cold, unyielding metal.

She would also carry a more painful, physical reminder.

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Hmm. Expect less updates for this than for my other stories, I'm currently writing the Sequel to Diamond Dust right now, so I won't have much time to work on this. when I finish that, I'll _really_ get stuck in to this one. ^_^


	3. A Strange Conversation

Like I said, this fic is going to be _very_ sporadically updated, due to me having two other fics to update, and the fact that this was only intended to be a one-shot originally, but you lot convinced me to go on. Don't expect regular updates like Diamond Dust had.

Events and scenes have been changed to accommodate Rikku's new status. Dialogue also, because I refuse to re-play the game for the sake of accuracy. I will follow canon for a while, but I have some new scenes in mind, and a new slant on Seymour.

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**Darkness Falls**

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**Chapter 3: A Strange Conversation**

Rikku shivered in the cold, although it was (according to the others) pleasantly warm in Guadosalam, she couldn't help but feel chilled. The place was almost _imbued_ with coldness. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and looked across at Lulu. 'Are you alright?' The Black Mage whispered to her. Rikku nodded. Lulu smiled at her and turned back to face the Maester's mansion. They were waiting for Yuna to emerge from the house, and Rikku would be glad to be rid of the place. Everyone who passed, Guado, Human and Ronso alike, looked at the curiously, as if she was some sort of carnival attraction. In all fairness, she couldn't really blame them. In this village (she had to call it something, and 'burrow' probably wouldn't help) of straight backed men and haughty women with flawless features, she stood out a mile. Obviously branded Al Bhed by her clothes and thigh holster, and distinguishable even more by the scars from her accident that marked her legs and arms, plus the single line on her face, she was greeted with either curiosity, disinterest or outright hostility by the other inhabitants of this place. There had been a particularly nasty incident a day after she had been pronounced fit to walk by Lulu, where some Guado youths had happened to choose her as their hate-object for the week, and had nearly mobbed her. The Guado: In touch with the Farplane, calm and collected to a tee, but all that stored up hatred had to go _somewhere._ She turned to look at Lulu. She felt indebted to the older woman after she had helped nurse her better, and much preferred her conversation to Wakka's, who seemed to have a _major_ hang-up about the Al Bhed. She had little reason to care for the blitzer herself.

'What's been going on?' She asked. Lulu bent down next to her ear and started whispering.

'After we were sure you were going to be alright, we were summoned to Seymour's mansion, and he and Yuna started talking. She's been going back there for the last few days, we don't know what they talk about, although she seemed quite flustered when she came out yesterday.' Lulu replied. They heard a noise from the direction of the mansion, and both looked up see Yuna emerge. 'Well, speak of the...' Lulu got up and started to walk towards the young summoner. Rikku shrugged mentally and also stood. She heard a snatch of conversation.

'...marry him...' She heard Yuna say. Rikku blinked and began to jog over to the rest of the group. Then she heard the minor explosion of Mt. Tidus.

'You cannot be serious! Does he _know _you have a pilgrimage? Do you even love the guy? Yuna? Yuna!' He nearly shouted, drawing annoyed yet oh-so-superior glances from several Guado. Rikku knelt down by Yuna and tried to look into her face, noticing Khimari draw ever-so-slightly closer to Yuna as she did so. She put it down to nerves.

'What did you say?' She asked her, as no-one seemed to have done that yet. Yuna did not look up. She seemed positively shell-shocked to her.

'I told him, I would think about it.' She said. Then Rikku remembered why she had offered to go with Yuna. To protect her.

'Why don't you just quit your pilgrimage?' She asked in as casual a voice as she could manage. To her surprise it was Auron who replied.

'The pilgrimage takes precedence. If Sin is dead, then would be the time to marry.' He said in that monotone voice of his. Tidus didn't seem to care though.

'But what about love?' He asked. Rikku could see where this was going to go. Having said what she needed to say, and fearing her cause was a lost one, she walked off towards the shop, and perched herself on the railing. After everything she had promised her father and herself, to stop Yuna's pilgrimage and prevent her death by Yevon's sick rituals, she was going to help Yuna kill herself anyway as one of her Guardians. She would have laughed if it hadn't been so depressing. She felt footsteps approach her, but did not turn around.

'Khimari not trust Rikku.' Rikku whirled around, and her the blue monolith of the Ronso stood behind her. She smiled wanly at him, but he didn't change the expression on his face. 'Rikku not want Yuna to travel.' He said slowly. Rikku just nodded at him. 'Rikku think Yuna throw her life away.' She nodded again, tears in her eyes. 'Khimari think Rikku good person not to want Yuna's death.' Rikku blinked. _Oh... Kay..._ 'Khimari think Rikku will try and stop Yuna travelling. That Yuna's choice, not Rikku's. Khimari think Rikku will make good Guardian, guarding family.' She blinked again. How the hell had he found _that_ out? 'But Khimari still not trust Rikku. Am watching you. Do not try anything, understand?' Rikku hesitated, then nodded again, slowly. Khimari nodded back, once, then turned to walk back towards the group.

_Now, what was _that_ all about?_ Rikku thought to herself. The message was obvious, but something about the way he had done it. He had waited until she was away from the others before approaching her, and Ronso were not known for their subtlety. Lulu had told her that Khimari had stated, quite simply, that he did not like Maester Seymour, in earshot of half the Guado populace. Something had happened there and she wasn't sure what, and that bothered her. She stared after the Ronso, then got up and walked back to the group in time to hear Yuna's proclamation.

'I'm going to see my father. I'm going to the Farplane.' She said, determination in her voice. Rikku's heart would have stopped, if it was still beating. As it was she merely went pale. Up until now, she hadn't really thought about her... condition. What would happen when she went to the place where the dead traditionally went? She didn't know, and had no wish to find out quite yet. Lulu noticed her and looked across. Her eyes widened when she saw Rikku's face, white as a sheet.

'What's wrong?' She asked. Rikku saw the others staring at her and quickly her brain went into overdrive.

'Nothing. Just a headache, it'll pass.' She said. Accepting her excuse, the others began to prepare to head off. Rikku remembered the Al Bhed explanation for the Farplane; 'It's not the dead, just your memories of them.' At that moment, if she had been a believer, she would have been praying it was true.

'Fine,' said Auron. 'we leave as soon as Yuna wishes it.' Tidus still wanted to press the argument though.

'But Auron!' The old Guardian merely shrugged.

'It is Yuna's choice, as long as...'

'I will not quit my pilgrimage.' Yuna said sharply.

'Then it is decided. We go where Yuna wishes.' Auron said. He motioned towards Yuna, who nodded at him and walked off towards the doorway. The others shrugged, glared or merely followed after her. Rikku shrugged, and walked off to join the others. She could face whatever the Farplane threw at her.

'Guys! Wait up!' She shouted, and started to walk just a little faster.

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Maester Seymour Guado watched the group leave through the archway to the Farplane, looking at Yuna, with that expression of confusion that seemed to suit her so well. He smiled. She would do. With her help he could finally achieve his dream. His gaze wandered across the group, and fell onto the small blonde girl who had not been to his mansion. He had not seen her in person yet, but he had heard from the rest of the Guado about her, the 'Wounded Al Bhed' as they had almost universally dubbed her. He would have to correct that. He smiled. Her friends might not be able to put two-and-two together, but he could. He smiled again, but softer this time. When his moment came, and Yuna had helped him with is ambition, he would be lonely again. Just like when his mother left him. The Summoner Yuna was merely a means to an end.

But this one, this one had _potential._

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It was short I know, but I want to start a new chapter for the farplane sequence.

I've semi-started work on my FFVIII AU at last. Check my profile for a full run-down of the plot. Here's a quick teaser. 

In this segment, Squall and the virtual program of Quistis have been told that the key to the information he is carrying is held by an Artificial Intelligence named 'Eden,' so they decide to go take a look...

_____________________________________________________________________

**Light and Magic**

****

****

Squall jacked in. He felt the ice-sharp coldness of the amps translate the Network into something his neural pathways could understand. The usual disorientation as senses figured themselves out. He smelled sound and tasted colour. Then as soon as it had started, it was over, and Squall Leonhart, cyber-merc of the new millennium, opened his eyes to stare at a cityscape made up of the huge geometric shapes that composed the virtual representations of every organisation, company and home on the planet. And they weren't where they were supposed to be. And they were surrounded by a blue field he recognised instantly as a password-protected gateway. He sighed and looked across to his left to see a disturbance in the air coalesce into the recognisable form of QT.

'Where the fuck are we?' He asked tiredly.

**Don't have a clue.** The construct replied. **Your new girlfriend seems to have jacked us in to the wrong server.**

'Her name's Rinoa, and she isn't my girlfriend.' Squall replied testily. 'Can you get past this damn gateway?' The construct's image smiled at him.

**Sure. There are advantages to being a computer program.** She said. Her image closed it's eyes and vanished.

_Yeah, well tell me when you opt to stay in this virtual hell, I'll be happy to off-load you..._ About a second after he thought this the field in front of him shimmered and fell. QT's image appeared in front of him and he raise his hands and clapped slowly. The image of the woman bowed. 'Are you going to tell me how you did that so fast?' He asked, not really expecting an answer.

**When you're a piece of software, You tend to think faster than your average human.** She replied. **Now lets go. We have a job to do.**

Squall nodded, and back in the real world his fingers operated the keys that would move him through the Network, Rinoa standing close by on the main cut-out buttons, ready to rip the wires from his skull if anything went wrong. If he had had one of the new Ono-Sendai cyberspace decks, he would have merely to think it and it would happen, but he wasn't that rich, and so they were stuck with a good old-fashioned keyboard-and-headset combination that made him look like an extra from the Lawnmower Man. Anyway, QT had heard that Ono-Sendai hadn't got all the bugs out of the operating system before they released it, and when people punched deck into cyberspace very rarely, but often enough to make people cautious, not all of that person's mind had come back. Even if it only had input for four senses (smell wasn't much good in cyber-space) his old keyboard-and-headset combo was serviceable. It would do. He felt the wind brush his face as they flew through the tall corporate cylinders of the Balamb mainframe, watched the huge white pyramid that represented the Garden Military Academy slide past them, and the cool hues change to red and orange shades as they left the Balamb servers and entered the Galbadian Central Government section of the 'Net. Here everything was violent colours and sharply defined shapes and lines. He looked around, and above him was what he had been looking for. Eden.

**There is she... **QT said from his left.

Eden floated above them, a simple white cube. It was featureless and completely flawless. Squall could move around it and his reflection wouldn't even waver. That very simplicity hinted at amazing complexity on the inside.

**Looks harmless, but you just try and hack it. AI's are humourless bastards when they're pissed. **QT observed.

'I'm going to take a pass at it, any reason why I shouldn't?' Squall asked.

**As one of my old friends used to say: Not unless you got a morbid fear of death, no. **She told him.

'I'm going for it.' He floated up to the same level, and reached out his hand to initiate his ICE-breaking software. Immediately, the surface of the cube shimmered, and a single point emerged and began to move towards him. He felt watchdog programs lock onto him and freeze him to the spot.

**I don't think it liked that... ** The spike grew larger.** Rinoa! Get him out of here! Squall, why aren't you running?!**

'Because I can't...' The spike grew into a tendril and suddenly flew towards him. 'Any chance you can get these programs off my back?' He asked in a voice edged with panic.

**Working on it... Try it now!**

Squall felt the invisible vice on his shoulder lessen, and back in the real world he bashed the short-cut keys for 'Escape.' His virtual image turned and ran. He felt the tendril of black ICE chasing him as he weaved through corporate databanks and home-grown websites. He risked a glance over his shoulder, and saw it tense as to lunge at him.

**Tenacious little bugger isn't she?**

'Just shut up.'

Squall raised his fists in a completely empty gesture as he felt the energy spike wrap around him, waiting for the shock that would send an electric current through his synapses and fry his nerves. But nothing happened, and then his brain felt like it was yanked out of his body as Rinoa pulled the wires from the port he was jacked into. Squall came to with Rinoa staring at him, and the ear-piece in his left lobe screaming abuse at him. Rinoa looked pissed.

'And just what the fuck was that all about?' She asked crossly.

_____________________________________________________________________

And there you go. Actual, real, _work_ will be started on this at some point in the future, so don't bug me about it.


	4. Let Me Help You

Yeah, yeah, I know it's been a while, but I have others fics too. Still, I apologise for the wait. Also I finally got my grammar sorted out (thank you my English Literature teacher!). Now I write these things properly! Very good point about the reviving thing. Square never really explains how someone becomes unsent. For this fic, I'm going to assume it comes from some sense of purpose or strong emotion that makes someone remain in Spira. The body moves, the brain thinks, but the soul, the spirit, is gone. ____________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________  
  
Darkness Falls Chapter 4: Let Me Help You  
  
Rikku stood at the entrance to the Farplane gate, and her heart would have been beating, if she had been alive. She had been hanging back from the others, trying to think up a good reason why she couldn't go to the Farplane. By the way, you didn't save me at all, I'm dead, and I'm not ready to go yet, didn't sound like an excuse she wanted to use. She found though that desperately trying to think of an excuse only guaranteed that she wouldn't. She was unsent. She'd gotten over that pretty much, all she was worried about now was what happened after. She wasn't going to go to the Farplane yet, that was for damned sure! Unfortunately, the Al Bhed hadn't been able to find a book in the Guadosalam library called; Things To Do In Spira When You're Dead. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she nearly didn't notice that they were there. She looked up from the ground to see Lulu in front of her. She heard Auron talking, and looked at the Guardian in time to hear that he was not going. She noticed something to his left, and looked up to see the Gate to the Farplane. It was a good job that she was behind everyone else, or they might have seen that her face had gone white. After a few seconds she tore her gaze away and tapped Lulu on the shoulder. 'What, the hell, is that?' she whispered. Lulu turned slightly.  
  
'It is the doorway to the farplane.' She noticed Rikku staring, and took it to be amazement. It was, just not the kind Lulu thought. 'Beautiful isn't it?' she said. Rikku looked at her incredulously, then asked Lulu something else.  
  
'What does it look like?' she asked the Black Mage. Lulu raised her eyebrows. 'Please?' Rikku said. Lulu sighed, and described the colours, like oils on water, and the clouds beyond the stairway, leading through the gateway. Rikku looked back, and as hard as she tried she couldn't match up what Lulu was saying to what her eyes were seeing.  
  
She could see the archway but that was where to Rikku similarities ended. It seemed to be covered in some kind of black, impenetrable haze, and if she looked closely she could swear that she could see things moving beyond the gateway. She shivered, and looked away, focussing on the small circles of pyreflies on the walls next to the gateway.  
  
'Terrible, isn't it?' a deep voice spoke behind her. Rikku spun around, and came face-to-face with Seymour Guado. 'I believe we have not yet met,' he said. Rikku looked startled, then managed to recover most of her composure. 'Rikku,' she said, holding out her hand. The Yevon Maester took it and, to her surprise, raised it to his face and kissed her on the palm. She resisted the urge to giggle. Auron grunted, and got up to walk by her.  
  
'Why terrible?' he asked, not really curious at all. The thing with Auron was, he was grumpy to everyone, and he seemed to be able to get away with it. Being known as a legendary guardian seemed to have that effect on people. Seymour just looked blank.  
  
'All the dead, gathered in one place. Everyone Sin has made suffer, all are here. We Guado have to watch over this place, and sometimes we imagine we can hear their cries for vengeance.' He suddenly turned to look at Yuna. 'That is your task my Lady,' he finished. Yuna nodded, but Rikku still felt cold. 'Are you going to speak to lost loved ones?' the Maester asked.  
  
'We are,' Auron said shortly. 'We leave soon,' he added pointedly. Seymour did not seem to care. Auron gestured to Yuna and the others to go ahead, and when questioned said something about memories staying where they were, and sat down on the side 'railing', well away from Seymour. Tidus turned to Rikku when she did not move.  
  
'Are you coming?' he asked. Rikku shook her head. 'Why not?' he said, confused. To her surprise, she didn't need an excuse, only what she believed.  
  
'The pyreflies aren't the dead, just your memories of them. I keep my memories in here,' she said, patting her hand over her heart. She gasped slightly as she felt the shard of metal in her chest grate against her ribcage, and quickly withdrew her hand. Lulu moved forwards to help, but Rikku waved her off. She looked unconvinced, but moved through the doorway. It took all of her self-control to prevent herself from screaming at them not to walk through that black cloud. She move to sit down, but instead felt Seymour's hand on her shoulder. She turned back to face the Maester.  
  
'You see it don't you?' he asked. Rikku's eyes widened.  
  
He knows, she thought to herself. He can't know. But then why did he tell you that? 'What do you mean?' she said, holding in her breath.  
  
'You see the dark do you not?'Rikku nodded her head. 'It is the cries of the souls in the Farplane. They desire revenge on Sin. It is invisible, but we Guado can see it. As can those who lack a soul,' he finishes. Rikku's heart jumped into her mouth, and her breathing went out of control. 'And you don't have to do the pretence either,' he said.  
  
He knows.  
  
'I know, Rikku,' Seymour whispered.  
  
How?  
  
'We Guado are attuned to the Farplane. We see clearly where others stumble sightlessly.' He actually smiled at her. 'No, I'm not reading your mind, but your thoughts are clear enough. You should stop that before you fill the room with fog,' he said. Rikku stopped breathing. And didn't start again. 'You see? You no longer have to rely on such things as lungs,' he said.  
  
'How do you..?' Rikku finally managed to ask. Seymour smiled softly at her.  
  
'You are not the first lost soul to wander through here. Most come here to die, but others find strength, and continue travelling, until they seek peace, then they return to end their existence,' he said. He glanced at Auron, but Rikku missed it. Seymour continued. 'What happened?' he asked. Rikku took a deep breath, and told him. She didn't know why, but she found herself trusting this man, Maester or not. After she had finished, she shivered, and turned to see Auron's gaze on her and the Maester. She could tell that he didn't trust the man. Seymour noticed her looking, and looked back at Auron, who locked eyes with him. They stared at each other for about a minute, and then Auron turned away, and returned to his silent contemplation. Seymour looked back into Rikku's eyes, his normal blue ones meeting her green swirls. he put his and on hr shoulder. When he spoke, it was barely a whisper. 'Death is a tragedy. For one so young as you, it is worse. If will not be able to ease the pain when it begins, but I may be able to help you find peace,' he said. He stopped, and turned. 'Your friends return,' he spoke in his normal volume. Rikku turned to see Yuna and the others walk out. She turned back to thank the Maester when she heard a shriek, and whirled back to see a ghostly form advancing on her friends. She made to run up the stairs, but felt Seymour's hand on her shoulder. She turned to protest, and the Guado shook his head and gestured to watch. She turned back in time to see Yuna draw her staff, and suddenly Rikku felt sick.  
  
Yuna began whirling the her weapon, performing the sending for the Guado (had to be Guado). Then the sickly feeling in Rikku's stomach intensified, and turned to an unpleasant tugging sensation. She felt Seymour's hand grip her shoulder harder. The tugging turned into a burning feeling, and Rikku whimpered slightly. Yuna spun the staff faster, in more elaborate curves, and the burning turned to a feeling that her heart was being plucked from her chest. The world began to swim ,and Rikku felt the need to sleep. She was about to drop off when a sharp pain on her shoulder snapped her back to reality. She looked up to see Seymour, still gripping her shoulder. 'Be strong,' he whispered. Then as soon as it had begun, it ceased. Yuna ended the summoning, the Guado disappeared, and Rikku stopped feeling like she was being torn apart. 'The soul longs for the conscious mind to join it in death,' he whispered, 'it will become worse the longer the two are separated.' Rikku groaned slightly. It got worse than that? Seymour let go of her shoulder, and walked off. Before he went, he whispered one last message. 'Remember what I said. I will always be here.' He walked off, and left Rikku with the others. Immediately Auron walked over.  
  
'What did the Maester say?' he asked. Rikku just shrugged, mind working frantically.  
  
'He asked for my opinion about the pilgrimage,' she replied, then congratulated herself. Go Rikku with the good excuses! she thought.  
  
'And what did you say?' he demanded.  
  
'You know what I think about the pilgrimage,' she said. Auron did not look convinced, but didn't press the point. The turned to see the others walking off and ran to catch up, hearing snippets of conversation about the spectre of the dead Guado and something to do with some guy called Jyscal. She didn't listen though, her mind still running through the conversation she had with Seymour. He wants to help! And something else, that was small now but would get bigger as they prepared to leave. The Thunder Plains. Rikku cringed slightly at the mere thought of that place, and now she was going through it! She remembered that the Guado shop had sold lightning-repellent equipment, and made a mental note to stop in before they left.  
  
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Seymour walked off after the ghost of his father had appeared. That old fool, still trying to Do The Right Thing, even in death. No matter, he thought. Jyscal could do no more than watch now. Seymour thought about the conversation with Rikku, and smiled. The girl was crying out silently for help, and the only one who was even half-qualified to do so had his own demons to bear, and would not bear another's. That left him. She was on the way to trusting him already. When he and the summoner had faced down Yunalesca, and he was reborn as Sin, he would be alone, trapped as the armour of Yu Yevon, and he had no particular wish to do so alone. His mother had died so that he might gain acceptance, leaving him alone as a abnormality in a world that shunned the abnormal. He didn't want to be alone anymore.  
  
When Jecht had fallen, and he had risen to take the man's place, Rikku would be there with him.. It was only a matter of trust.  
  
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Rikku stood at the entrance to the Thunder Plains, no amount of experience able to hide the terror she felt about having to cross that barren wasteland of light and noise. The others were no help. 'Fine, nice knowing you,' Auron said, and ran to the first tower. Rikku thought him crazy to run out there, but he made it safely, and waited for the others to catch up. Khimari looked at her questioningly, and she looked back.  
  
What can possibly hurt you girl? she asked herself. Was she not beyond harm now? The thought gave her comfort, and saw ran to the first tower. She could have swore Auron smiled at her, but it was hidden by that damned hood of his. She turned and waved back at the others cheerfully. Tidus grinned, then gaze a battle-cry as he ran out into the open space. He got about ten paces before...  
  
Zap!  
  
Rikku cringed as Tidus flew backwards, the recipient of a vicious bolt of lightning. He sat up and looked around. Rikku could have sworn his hair was actually spikier than before, if that was possible. The others fell down laughing, and even Auron gave a chuckle. Tidus got up and started to complain, forgetting the one rule of this place; Don't stand still.  
  
Zap!  
  
Another bolt landed at his feet, somehow missing his head. That was all the hint he needed, he dashed towards the tower, and didn't stop until he was under it. Rikku could smell scorched cloth. She grinned, and Tidus turned to her. 'And just what is so funny?' he asked. Rikku pointed to where Yuna was casting NullShock spells on everyone else, and they crossed slowly, lightning slicing down on them, only to be reflected away by Yuna's shields. The summoner looked at Tidus apologetically, then burst out laughing. The young blitzer looked to stunned to be annoyed. Rikku grinned along with the rest.  
  
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.  
  
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Ye Gods. This is my first FFX fic, and I'm struggling to remember key scenes here. Yes they're short, but I really don't have much to go on. One chapter in this fic will correspond to one of the scenes from the game, and some new ones added in as well. Oh, and will someone please review my other fic, Through Heaven and Hell to Home? I took ages on that, and no-one seems to care. FFVIII fans only need apply. 


	5. Metal and Lightning Not Good Bedfellows!

This is _not_ going to be a Seyku if I can help it...

** _____________________________________________________________________**

****

****

**Darkness Falls**

**Chapter 5: Metal and Lightning; Not Good Bedfellows!**

Ten minutes later, Rikku was regretting her statement as lightning barely missed her for the tenth time. _Tysh it! Why does this place have to be so flat?_ She ran along to the next tower. So far the entire thing was like a more deadly version of a relay race, the team running to one pole one after another, then gathering strength before running to the next one, and Fate help them if they got caught in a battle halfway across. Now she knew why all the fiends here were made of metal, bones, or could fly. At least they had _some_ sense. She cringed as lightning struck the place where she had been standing a second ago, and ran under the next tower. She sat down, her back against the wall, ignoring the metal groove running down the side. She drew in a deep breath and sighed. Regardless of what Seymour had told her, she still felt as if she should keep up at least the _pretence _of life, and breathing was one of those things people noticed by its absence. She lay her head against the wall and was surprised to see that Khimari was already here, watching her. She gave a small wave, and the Ronso nodded slightly. She smiled, and closed her eyes again, trying to ignore the crashes of thunder around her while the others caught up. Then suddenly a voice broke her feeble attempts at relaxation.

'Beautiful isn't it?' Rikku looked around and saw an old man dressed in green standing next to her. She got up and slowly and, out of view of the person, withdrew her spiked glove from it's thigh-sheath.

'Who're you?' she asked curiously. The man looked slightly nonplussed.

'You travel with the Lady summoner, have you not heard of me?' he asked.

'Sorry pops, never seen you before,' she replied cheerfully. The man grunted slightly and drew himself up.

'I am the scholar Maechen, I travel Spira in the search for knowledge,' he said grandly, then turned to look out at the Thunder Plains. 'There is a story behind these towers, would you care to hear it?' Rikku shrugged, and nodded. The man seemed to like the sound of his own voice, and the others weren't here yet. Why did the damned towers have to be so far apart? She listened as Maechen told the tale of the man who had built the towers, and his scorched end at the largest tower, near the exit. 'Killed, by the very event that he was trying to prevent,' Maechen finished pompously.

'How ironic,' Rikku replied, seeing if he would catch the sarcasm. He didn't, and looked across behind Rikku.

'Your friends approach,' he said simply. Rikku inclined her head to see Yuna running full-pelt toward the tower she stood under.

_Ran out of whatever it is those Null spells use for power cous?_ Rikku asked her silently. Yuna reached the tower and leaned against it, breathing heavily. 'You OK?' Rikku asked. It took Yuna about a minute to get her breath back and answer.

'Tidus keeps getting shocked,' she said, 'Wakka and Lulu are helping him across.' Yuna looked around. 'Where are Khimari and Sir Auron?' she asked, concern in her voice. Rikku jerked her thumb ahead, to the form of Auron waiting at the next tower, talking to Khimari. Rikku had hardly noticed them leave. Yuna narrowed her eyes slightly, and Rikku could almost _see_ her thinking; _How does he do that?_ Yuna turned as a voice spoke behind her.

'Sorry about dat. The boy got hit again,' Wakka said, approaching with Lulu, and a worried looking Tidus behind. 'I swear that hair conducts lightning or something.' Lulu giggled slightly, and Tidus looked annoyed.

'At least mine doesn't need a kilo of gel to keep it up,' he said.

'Hey! This is natural!' Wakka complained. Lulu shook her head.

'Boys? Could we go on now?' she said testily. Tidus and Wakka looked downtrodden.

'Yes ma'am,' they both said in unison. Rikku laughed, and they all looked at her.

'You seem all right for a girl who's terrified of this place,' Wakka said.

'I have you guys to take my mind off it,' she replied, and now it was Lulu's turn to laugh. She heard footsteps, and turned around to see Auron _walking_ back towards them. He arrived without incident, and this time, _all_ of them were wondering how he did it.

'We have no time for talk,' he said, 'we press on. Rikku, are you recovered?' he asked. She waved at him.

'Give me a few more minutes,' she said. Actually, she just needed to steel herself to leave the safety of the tower. Auron grunted, and gestured towards the others, they nodded, and one by one made a dash for the next tower, leaving Rikku alone with Auron.

'We will wait for you at the shop,' he said, and Rikku blinked. Somehow she had thought that they wouldn't stop there. She just nodded, and Auron walked off (_How!? How does he walk through this place without any lightning coming _near_ him?!_ she wondered), leaving Rikku alone under the tower. She looked back at the rapidly departing shaped of the others. They wouldn't have left her unless they knew she could take care of herself she knew, and she was grateful to Auron for leaving her to her own thoughts for a bit. She leaned back again, closed her eyes, and thought about what Seymour had told her.

_He said the pain would get worse. That _ thing_ in Guadosalam was bad enough, but it gets _worse!?_ The soul wants the mind to join it in death, does that mean I have no soul? He said he had seen other lost souls come and go. Am I the first one he's actually talked to? He seemed so... honest... And he helped me when Yuna sent that Guado back._ _What about the other unsent? Did they stay in Spira? Did they go back to the Farplane? Did they get killed by fiends? Wait a minute..._ A horrible thought occurred to Rikku._ Fiends are people who aren't sent, and get angry at living people because _they_ want to live._

I'm _not sent!_

Her train of thought would have continued down this road if it had been interrupted as lightning chose that exact moment to hit the tower. Lightning travels to the ground by taking the fastest route, through any surface that can conduct it. The bolt flashed through the air and hit the top of the tower Rikku was resting under. It immediately started to travel down the metal groove carved in the side. This wouldn't have mattered if Rikku hadn't been leaning against it. And lightning _jumps_. It saw a small piece of metal leading right to the ground, and it was even connected to a mass of water, which lightning loves, and it leapt the small gap between the groove and the shard of metal resting near the young girl's heart.

Rikku's eyes slammed open as the bolt ripped through her body on her way to the ground. Her back arched involuntarily and she gasped for breath as liquid fire travelled through her veins. As soon as it had arrived, it left, and Rikku collapsed back against the ground, eyes open and staring into space. She lay like that for more than five minutes until she gained control of her vocal functions again, and made use of them by screaming.

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Seymour smiled as he heard the girl's cry from the entrance to the thunder plains, and smiled slightly. He didn't like doing it, but he needed the girl to trust him. He was still a damned good Black Mage, and his Thunder spells were top notch, even over long distances. He put his staff back into his robes and began to walk towards the tower Rikku lay under, his shields protecting him from the errant lightning bolts.

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Rikku lay under the tower, hands bunched into fists, head pounding. She couldn't move, the pain had passed but the shock still remained. She tried to move her arms, but found they were shaking too hard to do anything more than scrabble in the dirt. She couldn't even relax them, much less make them support her weight. She tried anyway, and was rewarded with a stinging sensation as her palms hit the hard ground. She was about to scream again, when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. She raised her head and saw...

'Rikku!?' Seymour shouted, advancing on her position. He knew exactly where she was, but Rikku hadn't known that.

'Seymour?' she managed to croak. The Maester saw her and breathed a genuine sigh of relief.

_Mabe using Thundaga was overdoing it. I only wanted to cripple her, not fry her skull._ 'What happened?' he asked. Rikku's eyes glared at him in annoyance. What did he _think_ had happened? Rampaging Iron Giant maybe? He kneeled down next to her and leaned her back up against the tower's side, this time well way from that evil little groove. 'I told you I would help you,' he whispered, and Rikku smiled. He had. She tried to speak, but he shushed her. 'Don't. Here, this will help,' he said, drawing his staff and touching her on the forehead. Immediately, white light surrounded her body, and Rikku felt healed. He was obviously much more advanced a mage than Yuna. Rikku heard a dull _thump_ing noise, and turned slightly to see Auron running back to her. Alone. Seymour let go of her and stood.

'What happened?' Auron said without stopping. Seymour acknowledged the man and turned to face him.

'She was struck by lightning, I was making my way to Macalania and saw her here,' he said reasonably.

'Alone? Even a Maester doesn't walk alone through this place,' he said suspiciously. Seymour gestured behind him, and Auron turned to see two more Guado warriors running up to them.

'As you can see, I am faster than my guards. I merely got here first.' Auron stared at him for a few seconds, then turned to Rikku, now trying to stand.

'Can you walk?' he asked, ignoring all evidence to the contrary. Rikku glared at him, and Auron accepted the ridiculousness of his last question. 'Take my hand,' he said, and without waiting for a reply looped her arm over his shoulder and began walking off. He heard Seymour's voice and turned back.

'Sir Auron! Has Yuna decided?' he asked.

'She will tell you herself, when she is ready,' he replied simply, and walked off again, his strange ability to avoid lightning bolts serving them both well until they reached the inn.

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Seymour smiled at the departing forms of Rikku and Auron. Everything was going according to plan. She trusted him, he was sure of it. He turned to his guards 'Come, we must reach the temple before they do,' he said. They nodded, and began to lead the way towards Macalania. Rikku's 'accident' would delay the summoner's entourage just long enough, he guessed.

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Heads turned towards the door of the inn as Auron walked in, still supporting Rikku slightly. Tidus walked towards them, concern in his eyes. 'What happened?' he asked. Rikku waved the question off, but Auron decided to stick his foot in it.

'She got hit by lightning. There were complications,' he said. Rikku glared at him, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes swept the room. 'Where is Yuna?' he asked. Tidus went red slightly.

'She's... erm,' he began.

'Sleeping,' Lulu finished for him. Rikku wriggled her arm free, and walked off to the direction of the rooms, only to be interrupted by the owner of the shop.

'I'm sorry girl, there are no more beds left,' he said apologetically. He shrugged, and Rikku knew better than to curse him. She walked slowly over to the softest-looking wall in the shop (which still wasn't saying much) and lay her head against it. She was asleep in seconds. It had been a long day.

** _____________________________________________________________________**

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I'm gonna work on this fic for a while now, so don't expect massive delays like for the first three.


	6. The Crystal Forest

Hmph, my A-Levels are coming up now. Please pray for me. My sincerest thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. At least I know _some_ people are reading. 

I skipped the rest of the Thunder Plains sequence, as I'm sure we all know what happens. Yuna still says she is going to marry in this fic. 

I have decided. This _will_ be an Aurikku eventually. Just give me time, lots of time. Say, chapter 12… 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 6: The Crystal Forest **

Rikku ran into Macalania Forest ahead of the others, joyful beyond measure to get out of that forsaken plain. She smiled happily and turned to face the others, who were also looking more cheerful that they had left the barren and scarred landscape. She waited until Yuna caught up to her and began to walk. _Might as well take another crack at it,_ she thought, and turned to face her. 'Are you really going to marry Seymour?' she asked, as casually as she could. 

Yuna just frowned. 'Yes,' she said. 

Rikku could tell that she had something on her mind. 'Are you going to go to Zanarkand together?' she asked. 

Yuna looked across at her. 'I'm... not sure. I think the Maester has other things he must attend to, even if I am his wife,' she replied. 

Rikku tried again: 'Why don't you just leave the pilgrimage for a while and go with Seymour?' she asked, eyes focussed on Yuna's. 

She just shook her head though. 'I must finish the pilgrimage,' Yuna said, almost to herself. 

Rikku sighed and tried to change the subject, getting her to talk about her mother. Rikku had never met her father's sister, and wanted to know about her. 

Yuna smiled. 'I didn't really know her that well before she died. I know she was a kind person, and my father was almost excommunicated for marrying her, an Al Bhed. She died while I was young, in an attack by Sin. I think that was what made Braska go on his own Pilgrimage for the Final Aeon, he didn't want anyone else to suffer by Sin, even if it meant me growing up without a father,' she said sadly. 

Rikku dropped it, and slowed her pace to catch up with Tidus. 'What do you think about Yuna getting married?' she asked. 

The boy's eyes narrowed slightly. 'Why is she even doing it? I _know_ she doesn't love the guy. That sphere has something to do with it, I know it,' he whispered. 

Rikku got the impression he would have been talking even if she hadn't been there. She sighed and ran forward to catch up with the others. As she ran past Auron the old guardian addressed her. 

'You're feeling better I see,' he said. 

Rikku skidded to a halt and turned to face him. 'Yeah!' she said cheerfully. 

'Thanks to Seymour,' he said, a statement, not a question. 

'Yeah,' Rikku said guardedly. 

'Do you not find it strange that he should be passing at the exact moment you were hit by lightning?' he asked her. 

Rikku drew back slightly. She knew what he was getting at. 'Coincidences happen,' she said emotionlessly. 

'And so do 'accidents,'' he said, 'careful Rikku, the man is not what he seems.' 

Rikku looked harder at him. 'Why do you care?' She asked. 

Auron shrugged. 'I do not wish any harm to come to you,' he said. This time, it was he, not her, who moved ahead. He turned back to face the others. 'We move on, there is an inn at the end of the forest.' The others all looked at him. 

'How long?' Tidus shouted from the back. 

'One day,' Auron said, and the others either groaned or sighed in resignation. He sure was a stickler for speed for such an old guy. 

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Rikku was getting tired about halfway through the afternoon. The constant regime of walking and fighting was beginning to grate on her usually cheery nerves. Auron had called a rest halfway (according to him) through the sparkling forest, and they had all sat down immediately, Rikku perched on a branch up a tree, Lulu on a log (or whatever it was) and the others had sat down on the floor, the ground seemingly clear of dirt. Either this place had it's own army of caretakers, or the dirt had some kind of frictionless surface. Rikku turned to Auron, and didn't even have to ask the question. 

'Ten minutes,' he said, 'I want to reach Rin's by nightfall.' 

Rikku sighed and laid back down against the tree, she was becoming an expert at falling asleep against hard surfaces, and at least _this_ one wouldn't electrocute her. She didn't believe that Seymour had engineered her little accident, Auron had to be too paranoid. 

'Beautiful isn't it?' a familiar voice said below her. 

_Does that man _always_ have to open a lecture with those words?_ she thought, and looked down to see Maechen talking to the others. She swung her leg around and dropped silently behind Khimari, and tapped him on the shoulder. He whipped round, saw it was her, and took his hand off his weapon. _Pal, you are wound up _far_ too tight,_ she thought with a silent giggle. She looked back at Maechen, who was taking with Yuna. The summoner seemed to be quite impressed with his knowledge as he explained the origins of the forest. 

'Legend says that Lady Yunalesca, when she became a summoner for the first time, chipped off a piece of the Fayth she had used, and took it with her as a pendant. When Zaon and Yunalesca passed this way on their journey to Zanarkand, they saw the Thunder Plains, which were much bigger then, and Yunalesca was horrified by the destruction of the area. She took her pendant and placed it on the ground, it started to glow and sunk into the soil. The entire area grew from that one small seed of hope, and _that is why this place is called the Crystal Forest…' _

Rikku wasn't really paying attention. She had heard all of this before from her father on their scavenging trips together. She looked around the area, and agreed that it _was_ beautiful, but there was also danger here, as in the rest of... 

'_Fiend!' _Rikku spun around, and saw Auron draw his sword as a huge half-beast half-bird part-snake hybrid lumbered towards them through the dense undergrowth. Rikku cursed, and drew her spiked fist from her holster, running towards the thing, checking her supplies. _Only _one_ grenade left? Where in the hell did the others go?_ she asked herself. The others all prepared their weaponry, and Maechen ran away, demonstrating he had at least _some sense. Rikku took her place next to the others, surrounding the creature. Should be fairly easy, at least there was only one of them. The Chimera instantly debunked this theory by shooting a huge fireball at Yuna, who only just got her Null shield up in time, the impact still throwing her back. Khimari ran up to the it from the side and took a swipe at it's feet, trying to hamstring the beast. One of it's heads turned to face him and fired a blast of water at him, the Ronso dodging in time to get merely soaked, instead of drowned. The fight turned into a game of deadly who's-going-to-move-first? The beast turned slowly around, observing them all, the snakes-head tail preventing them from attacking from behind and not getting a face full of venom. Auron ducked under one of the massive claws, slicing into the thing's side, it roared in pain and threw it's fist in an arc at him, Auron abandoned his sword and ducked backwards, now weapon-less. Yuna stood at the back casting cure and protect spells on the team. Rikku wasn't really worried, until… _

_Thrum._ She spun around, and saw an Ice Elemental shimmer into existence behind her. She turned to Lulu. 'Behind you!' Lulu turned to face the new threat, as did Yuna, both being the main magic users. Rikku turned back to the Chimera and gulped. Elementals weren't usually that smart, attacking the thing nearest to them, but if _this_ one went for one of the group fighting the Chimera, things could get nasty. Fast. She ran at the Chimera and tried the same thing as Auron, punching the thing in the side with her spikes. It screamed in rage and swiped at her, but since her weapon was a part of her she easily withdrew it. She ducked under it's fist and rolled behind it. She heard a hissing noise and Auron's shouted warning. She leaped to the side again; barely dodging the stream of venom the snake had fired. Auron ran in while it was still distracted and put his foot on it. Tidus moved up behind him and sliced down cleanly, serving the thing's tail and bringing down the amount of things they had to watch out for by one. Survival of the Fittest was fine, but some of these creatures took it to new extremes. The Chimera noticed the sudden loss of it's eyesight behind it and spun around, dislodging Auron and sending Tidus flying. It reared over him and raised it's hoof to try and step on the blonde, but Rikku had another idea. Taking a deep breath, she took a running jump, and landed on it's back. Khimari looked surprised and was distracted, earning him a blow in the chest with a fireball. He yowled and began to roll around on the floor away from the beast's claws. Rikku clung on for dear life as it tried to shake her off, her hands wrapped around it's neck. She disengaged one of her arms and slowly reached down to her pockets. In one smooth motion she opened it, drew out her last grenade and shoved it right into the thing's mouth, letting go as she did so, her momentum throwing her off. The thing made a short _hack-ing noise, as if trying to clear it's throat. Then it's head exploded. _

Rikku whooped with delight, and turned to see how Lulu and Yuna were doing, having disposed of the damned Elemental. The former looked OK, the latter slightly cold, shivering. Maybe those Null spells weren't all they were cracked up to be. She waved at the others, who waved back. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Auron looking at her. 

'That was dangerous and stupid,' he said. 

sRikku's eyes widened, and she held out her hands in a semi-shrug. _What? _

'If that fiend had decided to use it's claws you'd be dead by now,' he continued. 

_I am dead now you old fogey,_ she thought at him, but decided to say something else. 'Well, it didn't, so no use thinking about it now right?' she said. 

Auron pointed, and Rikku turned to look at her shoulder. She gasped slightly when she saw a small tear in her shirt, hardly enough to scratch the fabric, but _really_ close to her neck. 

'Another inch, and we would have been reviving you again' he said simply then walked off. 

_Well, you didn't exactly do a great job of that the last time either!_ She shouted in her head at him. She turned, to see a grinning Tidus. _Why does there always seem to be someone behind me when I turn around?_

He grinned at her, out of breath. 'Rikku! That thing... with the... jumping, and... the hanging on, and... the boom!' he said breathlessly. 'Great job!' he finished, and then went to sit down beside a tree (or whatever they were. Is there a technical name for crystal trees?) and closed his eyes to sleep. 

Auron walked over to him, shook him awake, and whispered something in his ear. Whatever it was, the boy groaned and sank back against the crystree for a few seconds, then walked up to Yuna and whispered something in _her_ ear. She simply nodded and stood up. 

Auron looked at them all and crossed his arms. As one, they all got up from where they were resting and began to walk off, Auron stopping only for a second to withdraw his sword from the corpse of the dead Chimera as it dissolved into pyreflies. They followed him to a fairly innocuous piece of dense thicket, and he began to hack through it, pausing only to say something to Tidus that Rikku didn't catch. 

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Rikku sat on the floor as the movie-sphere shut itself down. The fight against the giant sphere-blob-thingy had been fairly easy once Lulu had discovered it's weak point. Stupid fiend, to have weak point as obvious as that. She drew in breath and stood up. Everyone had been furious at the monster for making them fight yet _another_ creature after that Chimera, and they had attacked and killed it with pleasure. Auron and Tidus were the last to leave the clearing, talking about something private, and Tidus had walked out with a thoughtful look on his face. Although not as downright-terrifying as the Thunder Plains had been, the forest had more fiends in it, so it balanced out. And it was always too cold. Rikku would be glad to leave Macalania behind full stop, although Auron said they still needed to cross a glacier to get to the temple. 

_Why the hell do they have to put these temples so far away from civilisation? And fires?_ she asked herself as Auron and Tidus argued with the nearby merchant. After about a minute of haggling they managed to argue down his prices, the fact that both of them had neglected to stow their swords properly added to the fact, as the merchant could see the sharp blades poking out from behind their backs. They stocked up on potions and ethers and continued on towards the forest. After what seemed like several hours they finally saw… 

'Natural light!' Tidus shouted, and ran towards the end of the forest. The others also let out sighs of relief. Maybe they _had_ been as bored as she had been in that place. She walked out into the first glimpse of clear sky she had seen in two days. She looked back over the forest, and could see the ever-lasting storm that marked the Thunder Plains behind the spiked canopy of the Crystal Forest. 

Rikku wondered if they hit it with a tuning fork, would it shatter? _Would make an interesting experiment. Definitely harmful to the environment and wildlife, although why anyone would care about the monsters in that place..._ It seemed that no matter how sensible a proposition was Yevonites could always make an excuse to say NO! Although maybe turning Macalania Forest into shards of flying crystal would be taking it a bit too far. She laughed, and the others turned their heads to look at her. She just smiled and waved back. They continued towards the inn. 

Auron argued with Rin for a room for a few minutes, and then walked through the door towards one the Al Bhed man pointed out. Rikku reached hers and collapsed onto the bed, giving a small warning to Rin (again) not to tell the others about her lineage. She turned over and looked at the ceiling, closed her eyes and began to drop off. She vaguely wondered why she would need sleep, but she didn't really care at this moment. She remembered Seymour's advice and smiled. Whatever Auron said, Seymour was the only person who really understood what she felt. She moved her hand to over her chest and felt the spike resting next to her heart. Whatever happened, at least she had someone she could go to. She remembered their conversation in Guadosalam. _You are not the first lost soul to wander through here. Most come here to die, but others find strength, and continue travelling, until they seek peace, then they return to end their existence. _

What Seymour had neglected to tell her though, and what Rikku could not know, was that few of those who had continued travelling had ended their existence as humans. 

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I made the part about the formation of the forest up, although I do think it's a nice idea. Thank you to all who reviewed so far, and especially so those who reviewed my other fics. I have a clear view of where this fic is going to go now. It will end (fairly obviously) at the ending of FFX, so at least I'll know where to stop. 


	7. We're Gonna Need A Bigger Can Opener

And so my fic goes on... 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 7: We're Gonna Need A Bigger Can-Opener... **

Rikku woke up the next day and immediately reached behind her. To her relief, she was still in a normal, nice, soft bed, and not propped up against a wall, as she seemed to have been sleeping lately. They had been here two days, waiting for Seymour's messenger to arrive. So far so boring. Though at least this way they got a break. Even Auron had stopped complaining, although Rikku suspected this was because he couldn't really do anything, not because no-one was listening. 

She walked out of her room into the store to find everyone else already waiting for her, except Yuna. What is it with the inability of summoners to get up early? Must be instinct. If they got up, they would be forced to walk for miles by a certain red-coated guardian. Rikku walked over to Tidus. 'What'cha doing?' she asked. Tidus looked around at her, and it was fairly obvious he hadn't had much sleep last night, his eyes had black bags under them (_So that actually happens?_ Rikku thought to herself) and he seemed less cheerful today. 

'Nothing, just thinking,' he replied. 

_Not your strongest point._ Although it wasn't really hers either. She yawned and went outside to stretch her legs, looking around the frozen lake. The glacier Auron had talked about must be… there… Rikku saw. Everything around here was either blue, white, or slippery. Damn climate, why couldn't they have set up a temple in Sanubia? 

_Because they would go and crush Home you silly girl,_ she answered her own question. She sniffed the air; there was a funny smell, hovering just on the edge of recognition. Something basic, but she couldn't place it. She looked back to see Clasko and his Chocobo standing outside, the young knight patting the Chocobo's side. She had heard Tidus and him talking last night, and agreed with him. The young man would make a great Chocobo-breeder. The door creaked open, and Rikku heard the long _swish_ of Lulu's dress and belts as the woman walked into the open air. She too sniffed the air slightly. So she smelled it as well? 

_Tysh ed what is that stink?!_ Rikku wondered angrily. She pushed herself off from the doorframe and wandered closer to the lakeside. 

'Mind your step,' Lulu said, unconcerned. Rikku waved back and continued walking. The day before, they had attenuated the boredom somewhat by killing every fiend in a hundred-yard circle centred on the Inn, so at least they didn't have to fear attack for now. She kneeled down and stared at the ice floe, trying to see beneath. She heard a shout, and looked upwards to see a solitary Guado figure walk towards the inn. _Finally! You guys decided to show up huh? Lulu tapped on the window on the shop and Auron walked out, the older Guardian turning to look up at her before moving towards the Guado, followed by the others. Rikku watched from a distance as they talked for a few minutes. Tidus gestured towards Rikku and she waved back. Then Yuna started to walk off with the Guado, towards the temple. Suddenly the air turned acrid, and Rikku cringed and looked back towards the hill she had been climbing. _

The smell was definitely stronger now, and Rikku walked farther up the hill to see whether she could locate the source. A little thought in her head was jumping up and down now for her attention, but somehow she just didn't seem able to think it. She heard a low humming sound over the hill, and walked closer to the top. She was about to mount the summit when she heard a much higher and continuous sound. _Then _she realised what she had smelt. _Gasoline!_ And the sounds resolved themselves as well. 

_Revs!_

Rikku ducked so fast her feet left the floor. As she hit the ground she felt a large shape pass over her head, and looked up to see a skimmer fly over where she had been standing. She immediately got up and ran down the hill towards the inn as fast as she could. Luckily the skimmer pilot had miscalculated his jump, and the front skis hit the snow instead of the ice, and buried themselves there, throwing the driver forward and winding him. Rikku shouted as loud as she could downwind, and at once all five of the group's head snapped upwards towards her, and saw the rider. Auron started running towards her, drawing his sword, Lulu following. The rest just slid down the cliff to the ice floe. Rikku began to run down when she felt a hand grab her leg. She turned to see the downed rider looking up at her. He looked at her in astonishment, then in relief. 

'Rikku! Fryd dra ramm yna oui tuehk rana?' he asked. He was further surprised when Rikku kicked him in the chest, and his eyes went wide. 

'So zup, kunny,' she replied, and ran down the rest of the way. She didn't turn around when she heard more motors fly over the hill, and she didn't stop until she reached the others. The six guardians formed a circle around Yuna and the Guado (_Tromell!_ Rikku thought, noticing who it was), more for his benefit than hers. Auron whispered in her ear; 'Can you talk with them?' Rikku just looked at him. _Don't be silly. _Auron just looked back. 'Then can you translate for me?' Rikku looked surprised and nodded. Auron watched as two Al Bhed walked up to them and addressed them. 

'We want the summoner,' they said through Rikku. 

Auron looked nonplussed. 'You can't have her,' he said angrily. 

Rikku translated for the pair. One of them took a small radio out of his pocket and spoke into it. Immediately Rikku heard the roar of a _much_ larger engine start up, and the other riders backed off. A huge tracked machina lumbered over the hill, and even Auron gave a small grunt. Then a familiar figure ran up next to it. 

'Rikku! Don't get in the way or you get this!' her first brother, Brother, shouted in Al Bhed. 

Rikku just waved back sarcastically, and it devolved into a shouting match between the two. Then Brother shouted one last sentence and stormed off back down the hill. 

Tidus looked across at her. 'Translation?' he asked. 

'They're going to use an anti-magic field on us!' she shouted back over the noise the tank was making. 

Tidus rolled his eyes in exasperation and prepared to attack. 

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Rikku was exhausted. She had used practically everything in her incredibly deep pockets, save some potions and some spare emergency chaos grenades. She had considered doing the same thing with the tank she had done with the Chimera from the forest, except that she didn't really want to play scared-chocobo with a gun barrel you could climb into. Rikku watched from the side as Auron and Khimari dodged in and out of the gatling guns. She had had to explain what fields-of-fire was, but they had quickly got the hang of it, moving to positions where the guns couldn't swivel to. Wakka moved slower around the sides, throwing his ball at the hovering nullifier-thingy. Yuna and Lulu stood at the back; effectively useless as they were could not use their magic. 

Rikku looked back at the battle to see the two larger guardians hammering the circuitry with their blades, the crawler unable to counterattack. Rikku heard a thin whining sound from the machina's innards, and shouted at Auron and Khimari to get out of the way. They both took the hint instantly, and ran for the nearest hill as the crew of the crawler bailed out and ran in the opposite direction. The tank exploded in a steel storm of scything parts and ammo. Rikku shielded her face with her hand and waited for the noise to die down. Then she remembered who had been piloting it. She stood up. 

'Brother? Yna oui UG?' she shouted to the snow. She heard a muffled reply from a snowdrift, and Brother dislodging himself from under the small avalanche caused by the explosion of the crawler. 

'Oui'ja kud hu nekrd du ycg dryd xiacdeuh cecdan!' he shouted back angrily. Then he changed back to Basic Spiran. 'What the ramm are you doing? I'll tell Father!' 

Rikku turned back angrily, not noticing Wakka's glances of dawning realisation. 'Then you tell him I am Yuna's guardian now, and I'll do this thing my way!' she shouted back. 

Brother waved in angry dismissal and ran off down the snowdrift. Rikku heard more engines rev up, and it was obvious that they had more skimmers there, in case of failure. Good job too. Rikku turned around to see how everyone else was doing, and was confronted by a faceful of angry Wakka. _Great, just what I need... _

'How do you speak Al Bhed?' he asked. 

Rikku sighed. He still didn't quite get it, and she was too tired to be polite. 'Because I'm Al Bhed, alright!' she shouted back, and that seemed to shut him up for all of five seconds. Then he began ranting. 

Rikku ignored him, it was predictable Yevonite drivel, and instantly disprovable by anyone with even the most basic knowledge of Al Bhed society. She turned to look at Auron, who stared back emotionlessly, he shrugged, and Rikku got the message; _ignore it._ She turned to look at the skimmers had left behind and saw Khimari do the same, and heard Wakka's voice behind her. 

'Wait, we're not gonna use _those are we?' he said. _

Khimari drove off in answer, Yuna in tow. One thing about the Ronso, he didn't care what he used to get where he was going. Different peoples were a means to an end for him Wakka seemed to have a major hang-up though. Tidus got on the next speeder and gestured towards Lulu, who mounted the back, and they two sped off. Auron motioned towards one of the two remaining skimmers, and Rikku nodded and got on the back, not really feeling like driving. She looked at Wakka and raised her eyebrow, but the blitzer just stared at her balefully and began to _walk_ towards the glacier, and the temple. Tidus shrugged, gunned the engine and rode off. 

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Rikku closed her eyes as she felt the wind run across the skimmer as they sped down the glacier. She'd say this for the guy, at least he knew when to slow down. 'Do not worry about Wakka.' 

She turned to look at him. 'What about Wakka?' she asked. Auron turned his head slightly, but didn't take his eyes off the path. 

'His opinion comes from personal loss and prejudice only,' he replied. 

'Yeah, what's his hang-up anyway?' she said. 

'His brother got killed fighting Sin, fighting with an Al Bhed weapon. Wakka thinks if Chappu had fought with his own sword, he would've lived,' he said. 

Rikku's eyes widened slightly at that. She hadn't known. At least it wasn't just blind hatred, like so many Yevonites bore her people. 'That's OK,' she replied, 'I'm sure he'll get over it.' _He damn well owes me one for killing me!_ She thought. But Auron didn't need to know that. She looked over his shoulder, and saw... 

'Is that a cave?' she asked. Auron didn't look round. 

'Yes, The temple is within,' he said. They reached the entrance and dismounted. The others were already there waiting for them. Auron gestured to the others, Yuna having already gone ahead with the creepy Guado guy. They walked into the cavern, and Rikku gasped. _So this_ is where they keep their temple!_ The thing was huge! She walked up to the edge of the walkway, being careful not to fall, and saw a solitary Al Bhed. _

'What are you doing here?' she asked. 

'I lost my gang. Here you go,' the woman said, and handed Rikku a potion, then ran off. 

_Did that make _any_ kind of sense? No? Thought not..._ she thought as she watched the woman speed off on the skimmer they had abandoned at the cave entrance. She turned, and ran to catch up to the others walking up to the temple gates. 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

Next, for some lovely cross-fic references! 

So zup, kunny = My job, sorry. 

Yna oui UG = Are you OK? 

Oui'ja kud hu nekrd du ycg dryd xiacdeuh cecdan! = You've got no right to ask that sister! 

ramm = hell 


	8. Cold Voices

Recognise this? 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 8: Cold Voices **

_Tysh ed it's cold here. _

Rikku had been doing her best to avoid visibly shivering, but without much success. _It has to be like -20 degrees here!_ She thought to herself as she traipsed after the other guardians. To be honest with herself, she wasn't ideally suited to the cold, having grown up in a desert, and her clothes were _not_ helping her out. _Why didn't I buy a coat in Guadosalam?_ She angrily scolded herself. Just then, she heard a voice up ahead that broke into her thoughts. From right in front of her in fact. 'The likes of her are not permitted here!' shouted the angry Monk, right in her face. So, they had arrived, and she had been too cold to notice. From behind her she heard the voice of Auron, calm and authorative as always. 

'She is a guardian,' he said slowly. 

'An Al Bhed, a guardian? Preposterous!' said the Monk. 

_Hey!_ She thought. She approached the mad Monk. 'I want to protect Yuna, and that is all that is important to me,' she said, amid much shivering and teeth chattering. 

'And that is all one needs to be a guardian,' Auron said, then pushed past the Monk into the temple. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_And so more come... _

_So, what do you want little humans? The same thing as always I suppose... You want my power, that's all you ever want. Tell me, why should I help you? _

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku stood before the fading sphere, but not seeing it. _No! Not Seymour! I trusted him!_ She shouted in her mind. She looked across at Wakka, and for a second those thoughts were driven from her head. She thought she might have smiled at the blitzer, watching as what he believed was shattered to dust. But she couldn't, Yuna was in danger and she was a Guardian, that was all she needed to know. But it was from a person she had thought she could rely upon for some reason. She thought back to everything, their meeting at the Farplane Gates, where he had offered her his help, the Thunder Plains, where he had saved her. Had it all been a dream? Although it took Tidus a few minutes to convince Wakka of the fact, eventually Wakka surrendered to logic. 

'If Seymour's bad news, then we've gotta stop him, right?' The boy argued. 

'I suppose, but there's gotta be another explanation!' Wakka shouted as a last resort. 

Rikku walked over to the two arguing men and decided to put aside her personal feelings for the moment. 'Erm, guys?' 

They both looked at her. 'Yeah? What?' Wakka snapped. 

'Nothing, except for the fact that Yuna is currently alone in a room with a man who possibly killed his father, and we're standing here arguing,' she said. He glared daggers at her, and then ran off to the trials without saying a word. For her part, Rikku regretted say it, it only made it more likely it was true. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_Why should I help? You come to me with your summoners and your prayers and you expect me to help you. Not like I have a choice either. It's this or stay here, and getting out, no matter for how short a time, is preferable to _this_. You want me to give you my powers, because you don't have any of your own left. Pathetic. Humanity wasn't always this dependant on outside forces, at least back _then_ they could choose whether to call us, instead of making us come at the slightest sign of trouble. _

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

They ran towards the Chamber of the Fayth. Wakka slower than the rest. He didn't seem to believe that a Maester, one of the pillars of his faith, could be evil. Lulu turned to him. 'If he truly is at fault, he must pay.' 

Wakka looked even more downcast. 'This can't be happening,' he moaned quietly. 

Rikku ignored him and ran on. She wasn't going to let Yuna down, and after her, ahem, 'performance' in the Thunder Plains, she was going to prove she could hack it. She followed Auron and Khimari, and pushed through the doors, and stopped. This room was a work of _art. Non-believer or no, she had to say she had never seen anything like it. Icicles hung off the walls and ceiling in perfectly ordered rows (although she wouldn't want to be under them, she saw. They were razor-sharp), the room was decorated in murals depicting what appeared to be a battle, a woman in blue fighting against a creature even Auron wouldn't have wanted to mess with. She guessed this was the Aeon itself. Al Bhed spies who had infiltrated the temples had reported pictures on the walls leading to the Chamber depicting the Aeon itself, usually in some heroic pose. She managed to turn away from the scene, and noticed she had missed most of the conversation, and Yuna was with them. She turned to Lulu. 'What did I miss?' She whispered. _

The Black Mage smiled at her. 'They shouted at each other for a while, then Yuna came out of the chamber and said she would fight Seymour with us,' she replied quietly. 

'Thanks!' the young Al Bhed whispered back. She turned to watch Seymour, and heard his grim proclamation; 

'Well, if you're offering your lives, I'll just have to take them.' The Maester said, and raised his hands to... 

'_STOP!'_ Rikku shouted at the Maester. To her surprise, he did, and his eyes went wide. 

'Rikku?' he asked. 

'Why are you doing this?' she asked him, eyes wide and pleading, the others looked at her in amazement, but she carried on, heedless of their gazes. 'I thought you were a good person, was it all lies?' 

'Rikku, I can explain,' he said softly, and held out his hand. 'Let me explain.' 

For a second Rikku felt the urge to run to him and grasp it, but then she remembered Jyscal's last sphere and drew back. For a second she swore she could see true sadness in his eyes, then he looked back at the others and they became hard again. 

'Well, if you are offering your lives, I'll just have to take them,' he said, and attacked. But Rikku knew that during _this_ fight, no serious harm would come to her. Seymour wouldn't let it. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_Interesting, hasn't been a fight in here since the execution of those spies last century... I sense great darkness from that one. You aren't real. You're dead. You two don't seem to want to admit to yourselves what you're feeling. I met _you_, summoner. You're a Ronso with a broken horn, good luck to you when you go home with _that_. You're an Al Bhed... _

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku watched as the other two Guado carried Seymour away. As he passed her, he suddenly lunged and grasped her arm. The other stared in alarm, but she waved them off and knelt down beside him.

'What is it?' she asked gently. He whispered in her ear, and her eyes went wide as his aides carried him off. Auron also heard what Seymour said, and he blinked, but he did not comment.

Rikku didn't hear what Tromell said next, her head was still spinning from the blow Anima had dealt her in a lapsed moment of concentration. She had seen Seymour wince from it. He still cared. She knew it. She didn't like Phoenix Downs, and _especially_ didn't like having them used on her. She looked across at the rest of the group. Wakka and Lulu were devastated by Seymour's actions, that much she could see. Khimari was watching Yuna for any sign of fatigue, ready to catch her if she so much as stumbled. The summoner in question looked like she was in a dream, not focussing on anything. Auron looked disinterested as always, unsympathetic git that he was. No one seemed to be bothered about Seymour and Rikku's short exchange before the battle. 

Tidus however, was another story. 'Can't we just explain?' shouted the young blonde guardian. 

Auron and Wakka looked up at him in disbelief. 'We attacked a _Maester_. We're finished.' Said Wakka. 

Auron was not much help either. 'Seymour can say whatever he wants, the only witnesses to this are him and us, it's our word against his. No one would believe us, not under these circumstances,' he said. 

Tidus did not want to give up however. 'But we have evidence! The wounds! The other Guado! Yuna, you're a summoner, people _like_ you, they'll listen to you!' 

But Auron discounted these by ticking them off on his fingers as he went, the excuses Seymour could use. 'He defended himself against an unprovoked attack, the other Guado will soon dissolve into pyreflies, Yuna will have no credibility when people find out she helped kill a Maester of Yevon.' He paused, and then looked over at Rikku. 'Plus we're travelling with an Al Bhed. That will not help our chances.' 

She lowered her head. That was not what she wanted to hear. She looked around at the room again, ignoring the argument. She looked again at the murals, those figures… 

She heard a noise, almost a voice, but whispered. _Guado!_ She thought. She span around, looking for the source of the disturbance, but seeing nothing, she kept looking around, expecting to see Yevon Monks hiding in the rafters, or Guado, but there was nothing. She put it down to nerves, and started to turn back to the others. As she turned, her gaze swept over the entrance to the Chamber of the Fayth. Then everything went red. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_Simple, blame the Al Bhed girl you fools. Tell them she did it. Tell them you had no idea she was an assassin. Typical summoners troupe, unwilling to sacrifice one to save the others. You all have that problem, even Zaon and Yunalesca... _

_Wait a minute. Did you hear that? You, girl, you heard me didn't you? No? Don't try and fool me, I know you did. Answer me! I know you heard, you're looking for me, but you won't see me, not even with eyes as good as those. I said answer me! _

_...Alright then, try this; _

**_ANSWER ME! _**

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The others heard a scream, and turned to see Rikku clutch at her head and collapse onto the floor. 

Yuna ran over to her and turned her over onto her side. 'Rikku what's wrong?!' she shouted. 

Rikku continued to scream, the pain all she could feel. 

Yuna extended her staff and tried some cure spells. They succeeded in turning the screaming into a quiet whimper. She tried to stand the young girl up. 

Auron lost his look of disinterest and wandered over to the young girl, concerned for a fellow Guardian. He grasped her chin softly and turned her head to him. 'Rikku, look at me,' he said quietly. 

Rikku slowly opened her eyes, and Yuna gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Where once there had been two black spirals on emerald-green eyes, there were now two harsh red spirals on a background of pure black. They backed off. Fast. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_Well, well, well, interesting. You're not who you say you are, and your friends don't know it. _

_Why are you still here? _

_You're on a pilgrimage aren't you? Inconvenient. Come back here when you're done girl, and we'll talk some more. _

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku turned her head slowly, and looked up at the pale Yuna. _What happened?_ She tried to say, but all that came out was; 'Wha...?' 

Yuna stood over her, not a little panicked 

'We don't know!' she nearly cried. 'You just fell over and started screaming!' 

Rikku got to her feet, slowly, and promptly staggered into the form of Kimhari, who put his arm out to steady her. She looked around at everyone's staring faces and she closed her eyes. 'I'm OK, I'm OK,' she said, over and over, until she convinced herself it was true. 'I'm OK guys, really.' 

Tidus looked sceptical. 'Are you sure, you looked like you were in a lot of pain,' he said. 

'Really!' She quipped, cheerier than she felt. She was still shivering though, and not just because of the temperature. 'Lets go, it's really cold in here,' she said. 

Auron moved off towards the Cloister, seemingly bored once more now that the event had passed and no one was in any immediate danger. They had almost made it to the foyer when the floor collapsed under Tidus' feet, and they had to spend half an hour solving the trial. 

Rikku looked back at the closing door of the Chamber. _What was that? _Who_ was that? Then she made a decision. __I'll be back, after all this is over. She walked off to stand near her summoner, as they argued with Tromell, then fought their way out into Macalania's freezing night. _

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku reached the frozen lake last, having got in a running battle with two Guado lackeys. She skidded to a halt near the others and would have slid past if Khimari hadn't grabbed her. She was still reeling from Seymour's betrayal, and his betrayal of _her. He had promised he would help her, but he had lied. She only vaguely heard Auron's warning shout as the large four-armed fiend landed next to them. Her patience snapped, and she screamed and started hurling grenades at it. The creature itself looked surprised as explosive fragments started to rain down on it. Auron and Tidus took the opportunity and ran straight at it, swinging at its eyes and chest respectively and gutting the creature. _

Wakka looked back at Rikku in shock. He had never seen her like that before. Whatever she had used, it had taken care of that thing in seconds. 

Rikku heard the ensuing battle as if through a muffler, and had to take a back seat as the other proceeded to pound it into dust. She looked up when she heard a _whoosh_, and saw the creature jump onto the pool, exactly where it had taken off from. _What the?_ She thought, then looked down and saw the crack in the ice. She barely had time to stand up before the entire lake collapsed around her. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

She woke up to find herself under a dark-blue sky, Lulu watching over her. The Black Mage started slightly when she sat up. 

'Are you OK?' she asked. Rikku gulped down air and nodded. She knew where they probably were, and a look up confirmed it when she saw the thin spiral of rock that marked the base of the temple. She got up and stretched her legs, looking around her. Seems like they were all OK, small favours... She looked across at where Yuna, Auron and the others were talking, and walked over, hearing what seemed to be an argument between Wakka, who favoured turning themselves into Yevon, and the rest, who didn't want to. Rikku watched it for several minutes before getting bored and wandering off. She was about to turn around and walk back when... 

_'SIN!' _Yuna shouted. 

Rikku spun around, and saw the silhouette of the great beast hovering in the water beyond the ice. Her vision started to blur, and Rikku moved back towards the others, seeing them all clutch their heads and fall to their knees. The last thing she thought about before she lost consciousness was what Seymour had whispered in her ear as he had been carried off. 

_We are the same now, you and I. _

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

It's late and I'm tired, so I will write no more now. I know I massively abridged the under-the-temple scene, but be happy with this all right? I promise to try harder next time, after I get a good few days rest. Damn A-Levels. 


	9. The Fighters In The Desert

To everyone who was forced to read this chapter fist time around, sorry, I have no idea what went wrong there, and I _do_ actually use proper layout, as I'm not one of those people who don't know the return key does. Like I said, sorry. Here it is again, updated and properly formatted (I hope). Stupid FFnet. 

I'm debating with myself to include the entire Home scene in this chapter, or just the desert scene. You'll probably find out which I chose as you read.****

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 9: The Fighters In The Desert **

Rikku woke up, and coughed sand out of her nostrils. She spluttered for a few seconds and sprung to her feet. There was only one desert in Spira, so... 

_Sanubia! Bikanel! HOME!_

Rikku grinned and sat back down on the sand dune. She had never been so glad to wake up full of grit. She got back up and climbed the nearest dune. She looked out across the desert and saw only more desert. So, she wasn't anywhere near Home then. Cred. 

She squinted her eyes at the horizon and saw a thin cloth strip blowing in the breeze. She argued with herself about whether to stay here and wait for the others or head for it. Eventually curiosity won and she made her way precariously down the dune-face towards the object. The walking only reminded her how thirsty she was, and regardless of what Seymour had told her (if he had been telling the truth) she needed to have a drink. That thought brought a painful jab in her heart, and not due to the metal spike. 

_Seymour, I trusted you, how could you? Is everything you told me a lie? You said you would help me, but you tried to kill us!_ Rikku drew in breath sharply. She had hoped that the entire episode at the temple had been a big misunderstanding. She still harboured the thought that he might yet be telling the truth. She didn't want him to be a monster. She wanted him to be a friend. 

She reached the dune over the hill and walked down to one of the tents her people had set up for travellers of the desert. Sitting down under the shape she drew a flask of water from the trunk that was _always_ under every tent. Taking a long drag on it, she thought about what she was going to do next. She remembered that she still needed to find the others and Yuna. Rikku searched deeper in the chest and withdrew several cloaks within, putting one on her and swinging the rest over her shoulder. Al Bhed _never_ left anything to chance in the desert. These cloaks would keep them in shade whilst weighing next to nothing. She exited the tent, taking care to close the drapes, and walked up the sand dune. She caught a flicker of movement from her side, and turned around to see nothing. 

Then she fell onto the sand as a large shape bounded into her from behind. She turned the fall into an elegant roll and ended up standing and looking at the thing that had attacked her. She raised her eyebrow in surprise as she saw a sand wolf facing her off from about a meter away. She snarled and drew her glove, preparing to attack when... 

'Heel!' 

Rikku turned around to see the person who had called, and the wolf almost flew past her to a figure in a similar cloak. SAS. That made sense. Rikku sheathed her glove and walked up to the figure, which greeted her in Al Bhed. 

'Greetings,' he said formally. Then he gave a small start. 'Oh, sorry Rikku, didn't recognise you for a second there,' 

Rikku peered closer, and smiled. 'Hi Ivan,' she said. 

Ivan lowered his hood, to reveal a man barely thirty years old, with the swirled-eyes of the Al Bhed, but his were blue instead of Rikku's green. His long black hair tied up in a ponytail and swaying slightly in what wind Bikanel Island had. The wolf bounded up to Ivan and lay down at his feet, seemingly docile. 'What'cha doing out here in the middle of the day?' she asked. 

'Training,' he replied. 

Ivan was the leader of the Al Bhed 10-person Special Attack Squad, set up recently by Cid after the Mi'ihen disaster to be a front-line team of fighters against anyone who happened to want to fight Al Bhed. They hadn't had many missions yet, although it was rumoured that they had taken on the Omega Dungeon as a practise exercise, and had caused some serious carnage. 

'We're thinking (_that means Cid's thinking,_ Rikku thought to herself) of using the native fiends as guards. I don't think it'll come off, but the man seems enthusiastic enough,' he finished, referring to Cid. He patted the wolf, and it ran off towards the north, where Home was located. 

'And what about the machina I spent all of last year setting up as guards?' she asked, hands on hips. 

Ivan shrugged. 'Sand. Machinery. Guess.' 

Rikku sighed and covered her eyes with her hands. All that work, wasted. 'Where are the others?' she asked. Ivan wouldn't be so stupid as to travel alone in Sanubia. She held her finger up. 'Wait, let me guess.' She pointed at an innocuous-looking dune. 'There's no reason for that to be there,' she gestured at a ragged-looking rock behind her, 'and erosion says that thing should be smooth,' she pointed at the tent she had came from, 'someone forgot to put the tent flap down when I walked in,' she continued. Ivan looked crestfallen, but Rikku went on; 'and the person behind the metal sign needs to tuck her hair in,' she finished. 

'I think they need more practise,' he said testily, and snapped his fingers 

Immediately sand cascaded from the mini-dune, the rock moved, the tent flap moved aside and someone jumped down from behind the sign as the other four commandos revealed or un-buried themselves. 

'You weren't supposed to know we were here,' Ivan said apologetically. 

She looked at the others, who smiled back. _Alexia, Kirsten, Zion and… _she didn't recognise the third._ That completes Team-1 I suppose..._ The SAS were separated into two teams, so that one team could be training while the other was 'on-call'. She looked at the new arrival. 'I don't think we've met yet,' she said as casually as she could to the person who didn't know. The soldier looked slightly uncomfortable. 

'Name's Caryl,' she said, sounding slightly put upon. Rikku raised her eyebrow slightly. 

'She's new, we're training her to be our tech-support,' Ivan said. Caryl lost her gloomy expression and beamed. Entrance to the SAS had been incredibly strict from the start, mainly because Ivan had gotten permission to choose whoever he wanted to be on the team, and he only wanted the best. 

Rikku looked at the woman's right arm and saw the distinctive bulge of a terrain-and-lifeform scanner under the cloak. _She must be pretty good then._ Only those with proven machina talent were allowed to carry TAL scanners. Rikku looked back at Ivan. 

'You're in big trouble with Cid, your brother told him you broke his little toy,' he said. 

Rikku's mouth fell open slightly and she put on a look of innocence. '_I_ broke _it?_ That damned thing nearly broke _us!_' she said indignantly. 

Ivan looked at her strangely. 'So it's true then? You're working with the summoner?' he asked. 

Rikku nodded. Ivan sighed, so Rikku looked to the others for support. Zion just looked inscrutable, as always. If the man had emotions, no-one had ever seen them. 

Alexia just grinned, and Kirsten smiled at her. 'You go girl!' she said. 

Ivan closed his eyes slightly. _Give me strength... _

'Guys!' Everyone turned to look at Caryl, who was looking down at her scanner. 'Company,' she said simply and pointed to the south. 

Rikku looked, and saw five figures moving down the sand dune just south of them. She swung back around to tell them it was OK, but was confronted by air. They had taken cover under the sands. 

'Erm guys?' she asked, and heard Ivan's voice reply from the ground. 

'Rikku! Shhh!' she whispered. 

Rikku shrugged and turned back as the other guardians approached. She became worried when it was obvious Yuna was not among them. Auron walked up to her, right over the spot where Kirsten had taken cover, and the woman gave a small 'Ooof!' Luckily Auron didn't hear. Lulu happened to stop directly over where Zion was buried though. 

'Are you all right?' he asked. 

'Where's Yuna?' Rikku asked. 

'We don't know,' she replied simply. 

_If she's not here, then..._ A thought occurred to Rikku. 

'I know where she is,' she said calmly, and had the instant attention of everyone. 'Al Bhed patrol's would have found her and taken her to Home,' she said. Auron walked closer to her. 

'Where is Home?' he asked gently. 

'I can't tell you, you'll tell Yevon, and we'll have to relocate again,' she said. Wakka frowned at her. Rikku looked back up at Auron. 'I'll only take you if you promise not to tell anyone,' she said, and looked pointedly at Wakka. 

'We agree,' Auron said instantly. Wakka looked like he was about to object, but Lulu put her hand on his arm and he stayed quiet. 

Rikku nodded, and began to walk towards Home, the others following. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Caryl waited until she was positive that the others had gone, then extended the antenna of her scanner and poked it above the sand. Reading that the summoner's entourage was making its way south, she gave a whistle, and raised herself from the sand. She looked around and saw the other four SAS members of Team-1 stand up, Zion holding his arm and gritting his teeth. 

'Damn that woman was heavy,' he said. 

Alexia looked at him. 'How can you tell it was a woman?' she asked. 

'I can tell,' Zion replied, and said no more. 

Kirsten went up to him; the small red cross on her cloak's shoulder identifying her as the team's medic. 'Let me see that,' she said. Zion held out his shoulder, and Kirsten took hold of it. Without warning, she gave one sharp tug, and he gasped slightly as his arm _clicked back into position. He sat down on the sand. _

'Thanks,' he said. 

Kirsten shrugged. It was her job. She had always had an instinct for healing; maybe one of her ancestors had been some kind of mage. Kirsten was actually named for one of her ancestors, although she had no way of knowing exactly _who_. If she had known she would probably been more worried. She shook her head and sand fell out of her long black hair. She usually let it flow, but for missions she put it back into a ponytail like Ivan had. She squinted, and saw the guardians on the edge of her vision. 

'So that was a summoner's troupe,' she mused to herself. 

Ivan looked up at her. 'Yeah, and if you know what's good for you, you'll be careful. They managed to stop three attempts to kidnap her. They're something special,' he said. In Ivan's lexicon, _something special_ meant the ability to stare death in the face and smile at it. 

Caryl sat on the dune, staring at her scanner. Suddenly she put her hand over her earpiece, then looked up at the others, panic tinting her voice. 'Sir! Home reports attack by Yevon forces! They need us to assist!' she said. 

Ivan immediately became deadly serious. 'Everyone pack up and move,' he said quickly and professionally. 'We're heading back, make sure your weaponry is clean,' he began to move off, and it took only a second for the others to stow there equipment and catch up. 

'And we'd better get there before those guardians!' he shouted. It was a matter of faith that they were the best, and no-one was going to beat them back to their Home over their own territory. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Auron and Lulu stood side-by-side as Rikku ran up the hill ahead of them, eager to go home, to Home (_Amusingly named, Lulu thought). 'She seems to have recovered well,' the female guardian said. Auron nodded, but seemed slightly distracted. _

'There's something on her mind though. Did you hear what she said to Seymour at Macalania?' she replied. 

Auron nodded, he hadn't, but Lulu had told him, and he was worried for the girl. 'I'd give my blade to know what they talked about at Guadosalam,' he said. 

Lulu looked surprised. She hadn't known Auron had actually _had_ curiosity. She was about to reply when she heard a scream, and she turned to see Rikku standing at the top of the dune, looking down at something below her with an expression of terror. 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

Well, you know what she's looking at. At least one person will know that Rikku is unsent by the end of the fic, I promise. 


	10. Home Sweet Home

Sonofabitch! Chapter nine had _serious_ formatting problems, and _in no way_ was supposed to appear like that. I apologise. If my re-upload didn't change it, then e-mail me and I'll send you the real chapter, formatting and all. 

On the very last chapter, I am going to swear profusely on behalf of anyone who ever read any chapter of mine where the formatting got f*cked. 

There will be an extended Home scene in this fic, before the airship lifts off.

Also, to whoever it was asked about the commandos in the last chapter, they only have minor roles in this fic, but keep an eye out for them in **Echoes of the Past**, where they're major players.

**_____________________________________________________________________****_**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 10: Home Sweet Home **

Rikku stared down at the scene of destruction below her. Smoke billowed from the building she had called home, bodies lay scattered around the dunes as fiends wheeled and screeched through the sky above the huge machina towers, directing pot-shots at the defenders. She held her hands to her head in shock._ No._ Then the shock went, to be replaced by blind rage. 

Rikku ran down the dune towards her home at the nearest attacker, who happened to be facing away from her. In one motion she drew her glove and swung it around at the Warrior Monk as hard as she could, slicing through his skull and leaving him dead on the floor. His companion was slightly luckier, hearing his partner's dying gurgle and looking around to see the young girl approach, weapon in hand. He fired his gun (_A machina weapon! Rikku thought) at her, catching her in the shoulder. Rikku ignored the pain and kept running, swinging the spiked glove at him. He ducked, and instead of taking his head off it merely knocked the man unconscious. Rikku was about to pummel the man to death when she felt a restraining hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Auron looking at her. He shook his head and said one word. 'Survivors.' Rikku nodded slowly, and looked around for any Al Bhed left alive. She looked to her right, and saw a person she knew. _

'Keyakku!' she screamed, and ran to her fallen brother's side. She knelt down and felt the man's pulse. Nothing. She felt Lulu's hand on her shoulder and she bowed her head, whispering to her dead sibling. She felt a shadow pass over her, and stood back up to see her father standing next to them. 

'You're Rikku's friends? Well don't just stand there! Let's kick these Guado out of our Home!' the man shouted, and ran into the huge complex. 

Auron looked at her. 'Your father?' he asked. Rikku nodded slightly. Then Auron approached her. Back to business. 

'Where's Yuna?' he asked gently but firmly. 

She pointed towards the door, too hyped and distressed to speak, and the others ran towards it. She took a few seconds to look around her at the carnage and then ran into the complex that had once been called Home, but was now a metal tomb for the dead of Yevon's weaponry. 

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Rikku ran through the innards of Home, trying not to look too hard at the bodies. She and the others looked around as the PA crackled to life, and Cid made his dire announcement. 

_No, not after all our work!_ she felt like screaming to the air. But she still had a mission to do, as Auron reminded her. 'Where is Yuna?' he asked. 

Rikku turned and indicated down the stairs. 'The summoner's sanctum,' she said, 'we keep the summoners there, we keep them safe.' 

Wakka seemed to have a different view. 'You kidnap them,' he said, arms crossed over his chest. 

'We don't think it's worth the price!' Rikku said, trying to make him understand. 

Auron did not seem to care though. 'Where is the summoner's sanctum?' he asked. 

Rikku pointed back down the stairs again, and he pushed past everyone and ran down. Lulu sighed in resignation and ran after, the others following. Rikku hung back for a few seconds and then ran after her, feet pounding on the floor as the group ran towards where the Al Bhed kept their captives. She turned the corner and ran across the others fighting some Bombs and a Guado. She hesitated slightly and then ran into the fray, aiming for the Guado and slicing the Bomb on the way past. The Guado saw her coming and turned to face her, bringing up his hand and directing a bolt of lightning at her. Rikku ducked and slid under the bolt, aiming a kick at the man's knees. He screamed and collapsed onto the floor. Rikku raised her fist over her head for the final blow when the Guado addressed her. 

'Seymour sends his love.' 

Rikku stopped, eyes wide. Auron saw this and ran towards her, shoving her out of the way and slicing down with his sword at the Guado as the bomb behind Rikku flew over where she had been standing. Rikku wriggled out from under Auron as the warrior stood up. 

'Are you OK?' he asked the girl. 

'Fine,' Rikku gasped. 'I just lost it for a moment, that's all,' she said. Auron smiled at her slightly, then looked at something over her shoulder, and his eyes widen. 

'_EVERYONE DOWN!'_ he shouted. Everyone looked for some cover, and leaped behind it. 

Rikku jumped behind the nearest pile of rubble as the last remaining Bomb self-destructed, damaging the ceiling, raining dust and metal down on the guardians. Rikku held her hands over her head as the shower stopped, then peeked out from under them, to see that a solid wall of metal had been erected between her and the other guardians, and she was on the wrong side. 'Are you all right Rikku?' Auron shouted through the rubble. 

Rikku coughed. 'Yeah, just a little shook up,' she replied. 

'Can you get through?' he asked. 

'No, there's too much here. Go and find Yuna, I'll catch up!' she said, then gave directions to the summoner's sanctum. 

'Are you sure you'll be alright?' Lulu asked. 

'I'll be fine! Go get Yunie!' Rikku shouted, and then heard the footsteps of the others as they moved farther away from her. She would have to find another way around. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Tidus jumped down the next set of stairs. 'Why'd they have to build so deep?' he asked. 

'Ask Rikku when she re-joins us,' Auron said, not even stopping for breath. The group had been running for what seemed like half-an-hour, following the directions Rikku had gave and following the turns. 

'If she re-joins us,' Wakka whispered. 

Suddenly Tidus stopped and turned to look at Wakka. 'What is it with you two!?' he asked, out of patience. 'You didn't mind her when you didn't know she was Al Bhed, so what changed?' 

Wakka looked shocked, he had never seen the boy like this before. 'It's just...' he began, only to be cut off. 

'Maybe you should cut them some slack, huh? They rescued Yuna from the desert to _protect_ her, not to ransom her or anything!' 

'Yeah but...' 

'Wakka, just _forget_ about that hang-up you have and look around you. If anything, _they're_ the victims! Yevon are destroying her Home!' Wakka looked indecisive, then just nodded. Tidus calmed down and nodded back, then they both smiled. 'Now come on, like the lady said, we gotta save Yuna!' he turned, and ran deeper into the doomed complex. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku ran through the building, dodging past fiends and rubble with equal ease, trying to find the path through to the sanctum. The attack had scrambled the internal layout of Home so much she only vaguely knew where she was or where she was going. She ran around the next corner, and felt something hot whip by her shoulder. She ducked behind the nearest piece of rubble as gunfire ricocheted off the walls around her. 

'Identify yourself!' a familiar voice shouted. 

Rikku breathed a sigh of relief. 'Ivan! It's me,' she shouted. 

'Rikku? Thank the... we thought you might be dead!' the SAS commander shouted back to her. She got up and walked back around the corner to see Ivan, Alexia, Kirsten, Zion and a haggard-looking Caryl safe their weapons. 

'Good to see you Rikku,' said Zion. The others just nodded. 

She turned back to Ivan. 'I need to find the summoner's sanctum, is there a path still open?' she asked quickly. 

Ivan nodded and pointed down the hallway. 'Service staircase down that way leads to environment controls, from there you can get to the lower levels,' he said in the same tone. 

Rikku waved her thanks and ran off. She heard Kirsten's 'Good luck!' shout as she left. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Ivan watched Rikku run off, and turned back to the others. 'She was in a hurry,' he said emotionlessly. He turned to look at Caryl, who was squatting on the floor. 'Anything?' he asked. 

She looked up. 'That way, after one-hundred metres there's a way out,' she said. 

They didn't think of it as running. Cid had ordered the evacuation of Home, and they were damned if they were still going to be here when it went down around their ears. 

Ivan nodded. 'Lets move people. Team-2 will meet us at the Cactuar Valley, we'll take their transports to the mainland,' he said. 

They nodded and followed their leader from their collapsing Home. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku took the maintenance stairs four at a time, bounding down them as fast as she could. 

_Nearly there._

Her speed meant she wasn't looking properly when a fiend came out of a doorway to her right. She was nearly on top of it when she looked up and noticed it. She skidded to a halt barely an inch from it's tail. It heard her stop and swung around to look at her, both of them surprised at the appearance of another being right in front of them. 

_A Chimera, not another one..._ She thought. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Auron was running to catch up with the others when he caught a flash of red in his peripheral vision. Stopping, he looked through the door to her right, and saw Rikku standing in the adjacent corridor, staring at something above and ahead of her. Auron breathed a small sigh of relief. He moved towards Rikku and was about to shout to the girl when he saw the Chimera standing in front of her. He stopped dead. Then he heard something he had never thought he would hear. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku stood dead still in the centre of the path, hunting frantically in her pockets for another grenade. It opened it's mouth and snarled at her. Still she did not move, there was no-where to run _to._ That might have saved her life. Chimeras were not usually used to prey standing up so close to them. It bent it's lions head next to her and sniffed her clothes, saliva dripping on to her t-shirt. Still Rikku did not move. It actually looked confused for a second or so, and then it did something Rikku had never heard about before. It spoke to her. It leant down again, and though it's speech was distorted by it's teeth, she could still make out the words. 

'As yOU ARe, wE oNCe WeRe. AS wE aRe, sO YOu wiLL Be.' 

Then it reared up, and began to move past Rikku, barely brushing her arm as it made it's way to the stairs. She just stared after it, face pale. She was pretty sure that had _never happened to anyone before. She was about to turn and continue on when she happened to look through the doorway and see Auron staring alternately at her and the distant fiend. She walked up to the older guardian. _

'What did that thing say?' Auron asked as she approached him, seemingly not at all surprised at the fiend's little performance. 

Rikku heard footfalls, and turned to see Wakka running back down the hall towards them. 

'Rikku! You safe?' She nodded her head. Wakka gestured behind him. 'Up ahead, buttons, we can't get in,' he said. 

Rikku nodded and walked off, Auron staring after her for a few seconds before walking to join the others. He finally thought he was figuring it out. 

Rikku ran past everyone and up to the door where Yuna _should_ be, punching in a code onto the keypad that had the others stumped and pressing the Door Release handle. It whirred opened and Rikku ran in. 

'Yuna!' she shouted, and then looked around. Her face fell as she realised she had addressed empty air. 

**_____________________________________________________________________****_**

Talking fiends! Man what a mess... 


	11. Boom

And _now_ we get back to the real scenes. I put this one off somewhat, but here it is, with a slightly different tack. It's shorter because I think you wouldn't stop to chat if the building was caving in around you. 

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 11: Boom **

Rikku looked around the room, and fell to her knees. They had been too late. She ran around the room, searching every corner, looking for any sign that the summoner had been here, but there was nothing. 

Meanwhile, Tidus seemed to be thinking about something. 'Rikku, you said that you protect the summoners, right? But guardians do that. You've got no right to kidnap them like this.' 

Rikku looked back at him in puzzlement. Didn't he know? 

Tidus continued on, oblivious. 'If we guardians do our job, the summoner will be safe, right?' Everyone looked at him. No-one spoke. 'Right!?' Still no-one uttered a word. '_RIGHT?!'_

Rikku looked at Lulu. 'You didn't tell him?' she whispered. 

Lulu shook her head slowly. Tidus ran forwards and grabbed hold of Rikku's shoulders, shaking her and demanding an answer. 

'What is it? What are you hiding!?' he shouted at the world in general and Rikku in particular. 

The young Al Bhed looked at him blankly. 'The Final Aeon always kills the one who summons it,' she said simply. 

Tidus jerked back as if visibly struck. He looked at Rikku, then around at the others in disbelief. 'She's lying,' he said, wanting someone to agree. Lulu shook her head. 'Why didn't you tell me!?' he shouted to the room. 

'We weren't hiding it..,' Wakka said. 

'...It was just too painful to say,' Lulu finished for him. 

Tidus looked around at them, seemingly angry and/or crushed. He walked up to Rikku and looked like he was about to hit her when a massive _crash_ resounded through the building they were in. Rikku and Tidus both stumbled, and then they heard Cid's voice over the PA talking in Al Bhed. Rikku forgot all about their argument and cursed. 

'What is it?' Auron asked. 

Rikku turned to look at him. 'Cid's sent the auto-destruct sequence, we have to get out of here!' she said. 

Auron nodded. 'Which way?' he said. 

Rikku pointed to the way the others had come in. 'Airship is that way,' she said, and ran through the door. 'I'll tell Cid to hold off a little longer!' she shouted as the door cycled shut behind her. 

Tidus turned to look at Auron. 'You knew all this didn't you?' he said angrily. The older guardian nodded. 'Then why didn't you say anything!? You knew I didn't know!' Tidus shouted. 

'Would you still have come here if you knew?' he said. Tidus was about to reply when Rikku ran back in to the room. 

'We've got ten minutes, so let's argue on the ship please?' she said, glancing back at the door. As one, they nodded their heads and ran out through the door. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Ivan sat down on the dune, well away from Home, and watched the firework display. Caryl looked up from her scanner. 'Look at all the pretty colours,' she said sarcastically. Ivan nodded. It was a damn shame. 

'What now?' someone whispered behind him. It sounded like Kirsten. He shrugged. 

'We meet up with Team-2 as planned, then find the nearest salvager and go to anywhere that will take us.' He heard a siren, and turned back to look at Home. 'Self-destruct, we'd better make tracks.' he said, and ran down the next dune, his squad following close behind. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku ran up the stairway to the airship, the others in close pursuit. She turned back to look. 'Guys? A little faster if you wouldn't mind. I don't want to be here when these things go off,' she said. 

'We're going as fast as we can,' Wakka said, out of breath. Not everyone had Al Bhed agility, and they had had to take two detours around battles or collapsed corridors on the way here. 

Rikku shrugged and climbed up the access hatchway into the ship. Leaving the panel open for the rest of them to climb in, she ran through the airship, dodging other panicked Al Bhed, searching for the bridge. She _thought _she knew where it was, but everything looked different when it wasn't submerged in water. She ran through a large red doorway and came across a large room with windows that looked out onto a solid wall of metal. 

_The cockpit._ She breathed a sigh of relief. She saw a figure standing near the driver's seat, and shouted to him. He turned around and she let out her breath. 'Vydran!' she said. 

Cid looked at her and also breathed a sigh of relief. He moved around to her, and Rikku saw her brother in the driver's chair, powering up the airship's systems. 'Rikku? You OK?' he asked. 

She waved to him and, heard the door behind her cycle open again. She turned to see the others walk into the room, looking around at the machina displays, some in wonder, some in confusion, and one in suspicion. That blitzer would never change. 

Cid looked past her and saw them as well. 'These your friends?' he asked in Spiran. Rikku nodded. 'Nice to meet y'all. Sorry about the greeting, but we don't have much time left,' he said, and turned back to Brother and started shouting instructions at him. 

'Why do we not have much time?' Auron said. 

'Because Home will blow up in about two minutes,' Cid said without looking round, then went back to shouting at Brother. 

Wakka's eyes went wide. '_What?! Then why are we still here?!' he asked, panicked. In answer, the ground beneath them started to vibrate, and Wakka grabbed hold of the nearby work-surface, luckily he missed pressing any buttons. Rikku ran up to the right-hand board and looked out of the window. _

'Erm, why is the ground falling away?' Tidus asked. 

Rikku smiled. 'It's not. We're rising,' she said. As she spoke a long shaft of light appeared on the wall opposite them as the hanger doors began to slide open. Rikku looked at the catwalks on the wall as they rose from the hanger where the airship was stored, and saw the bodies of those either too slow or too unlucky to make it. She sighed. Damn Yevon. She was about to turn away when she saw something on one of the higher 'walks. She squinted her eyes and gasped. It was the Chimera, and it was looking at her. They observed each other for a few seconds, and then Rikku held out her hand and gave a small wave. In reply the Chimera reared up and gave a huge roar, then it passed out of sight. 

_Wow,_ she thought. She looked around at the others. Wakka and Lulu looked slightly scared, although she knew they would never admit it. Tidus was looking out the nearest window, an expression of disbelief on his face, Strange; you'dve thought they would have had airships in Zanarkand. Auron, as usual, just looked bored. 

The airship swung round to make it's escape, and Rikku got one last look at Home before it was destroyed. She saw the fiends fly around the once great but now wrecked spires, and the bodies that littered the ground. She looked at the display. Ten seconds. She braced herself for the explosion, and heard Cid tell everyone else to do the same. When, after ten seconds had passed and Home still stood, she heard Cid say one word in Al Bhed. 

'Missiles.' Brother looked as if he was about to complain, but one look at their father's face convinced him otherwise. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

'It didn't blow up,' Ivan said from the desert floor. They had clapped when the airship had risen from it's hanger, and had all thought; '_Why weren't we on that?_ But they had chosen to go through the desert, and no-one could follow them _there_. Ivan sighed. 'Never mind, lets go,' he said, and turned to head out. The SAS commandos were heading up the side of the next dune when they heard a _whoosh_ above them, and as one looked up to see the airship streak over their heads, contrails coming out of it's missile pods. 

Alexia was the first one to look back, and her eyes went wide. 'Erm, sir?' she said, backing away from the direction of Home. 

'Yeah?' he replied, looking around. He heard a _boom _as the contrails reached the building and exploded. It was like someone had fired some kind of detonator into Home, and suddenly there was a huge wall of red and orange fire, advancing towards them across the desert. 

'Go, go, _GO!'_ he screamed at the others, and they ran for the top of the dune, jumping over the summit and burying themselves in sand as they hit the ground. A few seconds later, the shockwave passed over them, and they all felt a blast of heat slide over their backs. After a few seconds they tried to stand up, and to their surprise the sand shattered around them. Kirsten was the first to speak. 

'Was this glass desert here a minute ago?' she asked, looking across the transformed dunes. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku shielded her eyes as the place she had known as home all her life blew apart from the combined assault of twelve charges placed to bring down the individual spires and the few dozen missiles fired from the ship. 

She heard Wakka's voice behind her, and felt his hand on her shoulder. 'Never mind. Boom! Like happy festival fireworks ya?' he said to try and cheer her up. 

She looked up into his eyes with a gaze so full of sadness and rage you could turn to dust just by looking at it. 'You can cram your big festival fireworks you big meanie!' she shouted at him, brushing off his hand and running from the bridge. He went to go after her, but Auron put his hand on her shoulder. 

'Let me talk to her,' he said. Wakka nodded, and stood back as Auron left the bridge to go after the girl. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku ran through the airship's corridors, trying to outrun her tears. Eventually though they caught up with her in the engine room, and she lay against the ancient machina and wept. 

_Damn Yevon, damn the Guado, and damn _you_ Seymour! She hit the wall with her fist, and because she couldn't think of anything better to do she did it again. That felt better._ Why did everything have to turn out this way?_ she asked the world. The world had no reply that she could hear. She composed herself and turned to go back to the bridge when the door slid open, and she found herself face-to-face with Rin. _

The man just looked at her for a few seconds. 'I am sorry for your loss,' he said. 

Rikku blinked and wiped away tears. 'Thank you,' she whispered. 

He placed his hands on her shoulders. 'Do not worry little one, you will survive. You are strong like that,' he said, a smile on his face. 'We can always build a new Home.' 

She laughed slightly and grinned. Rin patted her on the shoulder, and then cocked his head. 'I believe one of your companions searches for you,' he said. 

Rikku simply nodded and walked past Rin, back towards the bridge. She stared at the ground on her way back, and so didn't see Auron until she was right on top of him. 

'Woah!' she said as she barely stopped in time to avoid hitting the sword-wielder. 

'Rikku, are you all right?' he asked. 

Rikku looked surprised. Compassion? From _Auron?_ She shrugged. 'I just needed some space,' she said simply. 

'I told you not to worry about Wakka, he does to put his foot in his mouth a lot,' he said. They both smiled. 

'Yeah, I noticed,' Rikku replied. They turned and began walking towards the bridge again. She looked across at Auron, and noticed that he was looking at Rikku strangely. 'What?' she asked. 

'Rikku, what did that fiend in Home mean?' he asked. 

Rikku stopped and turned to look at him head on. 'What do you mean?' she whispered. 

'I heard what it said, what did it mean 'as we are, so you will be?'' he asked, no trace of menace or suspicion in his voice. 

'It's nothing, just some unsent who got turned into a fiend probably,' she said. Then she realised she had said more than she had meant to. Lulu stared at her. 

'Rikku, is there something you're not telling us?' he asked quietly. 

Rikku just looked at him. 'No,' she said quietly, and walked off. 

Auron stood there watching the girl walk off. No. It couldn't be. 

Could it? 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

I did say. 


	12. Up On The Roof

I'm not really sure how many chapters this is going to be anymore, so what the hell... 

I have finally, finally, _finally_, got around to changing all the speech marks into their proper forms. Now all my grammar is correct, and it only took me three weeks. 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 12: Up On The Roof **

Rikku walked until she was sure that she was out of Auron's field of view, and then ran as fast as she could away from the man, mentally kicking herself. _I did _not_ want to say that!_ she thought over and over. What had she given away, in just that one sentence? She ran up to the elevator on the observation floor and took it up to the airship's deck. Looking out over the side, all she could see was water, moving past them at insanely high speeds. What was it with her father and speed? She approached the bow of the airship, and looked down to see the slope of the layered rows of metal as they tapered down to the edge. She sighed, and sat down on the ledge, legs crossed. Anything that happened now would happen. Cu pa ed. She heard the deck's huge door cycle open, but didn't turn around. 

"Rikku?" Auron asked. Rikku lowered her head slightly. "What is it?" 

"It's nothing," the Al Bhed girl replied quietly, not looking around. 

"I don't think so," Auron said. Rikku stood up and turned to face her. 

"Auron, sometimes we have to deal with things on our own, OK?" she said. 

Auron started, he had never heard the girl speak like this before. He understood though. He nodded and turned back to the elevator, leaving Rikku with her thoughts.

Actually, probably not the best thing to happen. Thinking only made her worry. 

'_As we are...so you will be.' It couldn't have meant _that_, could it? Could it? She looked back down over the airship. Why her? _

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

When Auron walked back onto the bridge, Cid and Tidus looked like they were arguing. He caught short snatches of conversation through her thoughts. 

"I'm not going to let Yuna die!" the young blitzer shouted to the older (and bigger) Al Bhed. 

"Words! Show me actions!" the man shouted back. 

Tidus walked up to the man so they were right in each other's faces. "Watch me, pops," he said. 

The other Al Bhed looked around. "Do you know what happened to the last Spiran to call me pops?" he asked. Tidus shook his head. "Well, neither does anyone else, cause he was _never found." Tidus got the hint and backed off. "We're going to find Yuna alright, and then I'm going to stop her from this damn-fool death-journey she has!" _

"You would go against her wishes?" Auron said from his new vantage point in the corner of the room. 

"Damn straight!" Cid replied. 

Auron shook his head, although Tidus seemed to agree with the man. 

Lulu shook her head as well. It was so obvious to her, yet the others didn't seem to have noticed his affection for Yuna. She walked up to behind Wakka and watched the three men argue, seeing how long her patience would last. 

_Ten seconds,_ she thought. She raised her hand and fired a small fireball into their midst. They separated instantly and stared at her. "Are you three going to fight like little schoolboys all day long? Or can be actually get on with rescuing Yuna?" she asked acidly. As one they all backed away. 

"Woman's got a point," Cid whispered, then turned and went over to the blue glowing sphere in the centre of the room. "This will help us find Yuna, if she's out there, this thing will get her," he said, and began to push buttons. "Give it a few minutes." 

Auron walked off towards the door, and was about to go through it when Rikku walked in. She looked at him and smiled slightly, then walked past him into the bridge. 

Cid turned to look. "Rikku?" he asked. 

"Are we looking for Yuna?" she asked. Cid and Tidus both nodded. "She's in Bevelle," she said. 

Auron raised his eyebrow. "And you know this how?" he asked, but not doubting that the girl was right. 

Rikku looked across at him. "Because that's where Seymour is," she said. The others all looked round at her. 

Auron still wanted to know more though. "Do you know why?" he asked. 

Rikku nodded. "Because he needs her power," she said, and walked back out. 

Tidus turned to Auron. "Just what was that all about?" he asked. 

Auron shook his head. "That's for her to reveal when she wishes," he said, having a pretty good idea of the connection the teenager and the Maester shared. Tidus looked at Auron funny for a second, then shrugged and carried on as normal. Auron made her excuses to the others and walked out. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku sat down on the floor of the deck again. She knew where Seymour would be, maybe she could talk him out of whatever he was doing. She heard footsteps behind her, and this time she turned to see Auron sit down cross-legged next to her. "Hi," she said. 

"Hello," the man replied. He waited a few seconds before asking the question. "Did you love him?" he asked. 

_I only knew him for a few days! But..._ "Yeah," she replied quietly. 

"We all make mistakes," Auron said. 

"I should have been smarter. I should have seen something before." She whispered. 

"You cannot always tell someone's intentions when you've just met them." 

"But I could _see_ he cared! He didn't have to help me in the Thunder Plains! He didn't have to protect me during the battle at the temple!" 

Auron glanced at her. He hadn't known that. Although now he came to think about it, Rikku had been a lot less injured at the end of the fight than the others… "Do you know what he wants?" he asked the young Al Bhed. 

Rikku gave a small laugh. "I think so." She did not extrapolate on this. 

Auron sighed. The girl could go from one opposite to the next in seconds. It was infuriating, yet endearing all the same. He would get no more out of the girl. He got up and turned to go. Before he reached the door, he heard Rikku call him back. 

"Wait." 

He turned around, and Rikku swivelled to face him. "The power fixation isn't everything. He wants someone to share it with, someone who understands him. He needs a partner," she said. Auron nodded. He understood loneliness, and what it could drive one to do 

"I know about your conversation with him at Guadosalam, and your rescue at the Thunder Plain," he said "Why does he care about you?" he asked, this time genuinely curious. 

"We are the same now, we're alone together," Rikku said, and would say no more. 

Auron walked off. _That may not be as true as you think._ He thought. He just needed some more information. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Tidus was staring at the display on the sphere-oscillo-thingy when Auron walked back in. Cid had taught him to recognise patterns in the 'matrix', which indicated Yuna's location. It had something to do with energy and vibrations, but the technical facts were all beyond him. Lulu looked at Auron. "Anything?" she asked. 

"She says that Seymour has a flaw in his personality," he said, and shrugged minutely. 

"So what does this mean?" They all had them. 

"So he fears being abandoned. If we can find out why, we have leverage on him," said Auron, amateur psychologist. Lulu looked at him. 

"What does Rikku have to do with this?" she asked. 

"They are the same," Auron said, and refused to explain further. He didn't entirely know herself, but he had a good idea. Poor girl. 

Tidus gave a whoop, and they all looked around to see him staring over the sphere. He turned to them with a grin on his face. "I found her!" he said. 

"Where?" Auron asked instantly. 

"Bevelle," he said, less enthusiastically. 

Wakka groaned. "Great, the Holy City, and we're going to invade," he said. 

Cid looked across at him. "You would prefer we do nothing?" he said, deceptively quiet. 

"No, no!" Wakka said, shaking his hands at Cid. "Just we gotta get past the entire Yevon priesthood, the Warrior Monks, _and_ Evrae!" he said. 

Tidus shrugged. "So, what's the problem?" he asked. Wakka spluttered for a few seconds, and Tidus went on; "Yuna's there, so, we go and get her!" he said. "That's all that matters!" 

Cid laughed. "Boy, you got guts! Brother!" he shouted to the pilot. Brother responded in a stream of Al Bhed. "Full speed ahead to Bevelle!" Cid shouted, Brother nodded and reached for the nearest big red button. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Rikku felt the surge of acceleration from her 'seat' on the deck, and grabbed hold of the nearest edge to avoid slipping off. They were on their way, and she knew where too. She smiled and walked back into the airship. 

_Yuna, don't worry; we're coming for you. _

_Seymour, if you're there, _I'm_ coming for _you.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

From his rooms in the Bevelle Palace, Seymour stared out at the sky. He smiled and walked out of his accommodation, and into the corridors of the Holy City. Eventually he came across the room where Yuna was being 'protected' from those who would wish to kidnap her. If that meant that the door had to be locked and guarded, then so be it. He motioned to the guard posted outside, who saluted and opened the door with his key. He saw Yuna sitting on the bed on the other side of the wall. 

She saw him come in and immediately stood up. "You're not going to get away with this," she said, predictably. 

"Lady Yuna, you have no idea what it is I have planned for you," he said reasonably. 

"I don't need to, to know that you're planning something big," she said angrily. "If you think enforced marriage will change my mind about you, then..." 

Seymour cut her off. "Lady Yuna, it is not you I am after," he said. 

She closed her mouth and stared at him. "Then why all this?" she asked. "Why all the show?" 

"Because I need a summoner," he said. "But I do not need you for your company, for that, I have someone... different... in mind. She will understand in a way that you cannot." Yuna just looked confused. "Do not worry, your friends are coming to rescue you. You will understand shortly, I assure you," he finished, and walked off, nodding to the guard to lock the door behind him. 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

Next up is the Evrae chapter, with mucho alterations. 


	13. Guys! A Little Help Maybe?

Well, it's actually been about a week between this chapter and the last, although you can't really tell… 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 13: Guys! A Little Help Maybe!?**

Rikku stood on the bridge of the airship, watching the clouds fall past them as they flew through the air at several hundred miles an hour. After they had went full-speed the engines had nearly feel apart, and Cid had ordered a much slower pace, lest they shake themselves to pieces. She sighed and tapped the dials. Apart from the occasional winged fiend, nothing showed in the viewscreen except for clouds, clouds and more clouds. Oh, and had she mentioned the clouds?

Rikku jumped to her feet and stretched her legs. Lulu and Tidus looked across at her, then looked back at the viewscreen. Wakka seemed to be cowering in perpetual terror that the airship would suddenly realise that no, nothing metal flew, and would fall out of the sky. So far the ship was playing dumb. Rikku walked out of the bridge and went towards the observation deck. Even watching the clouds fly sideways instead of towards them would be a nice change. She reached the lift in silence, and was about to go out when…

"Rikku, wait."

Rikku turned around to see Auron walk towards her, sword on shoulder. What was _he_ doing here? "Yeah?" she asked him.

"I want to talk with you," he said seriously.

"Suits me fine," she replied, leaning on the wall.

To her surprise, Auron shook his head. "Not here. In private."

Rikku blinked at that. What could it be? She nodded and stepped onto the elevator, Auron following close behind. They rode the lift up to the deck in silence. Rikku glanced across at Auron, but as usual he just looked blank. As the door to outside cycled open she breathed in fresh air for the first time in hours. She wondered why she had not come out here earlier.

She walked out halfway onto the deck and turned to Auron. "So?" she asked lightly.

"I need to know you have your mind on the task at hand," he said.

Rikku looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I need to know you will not be distracted by Seymour when the time comes."

"You figured that out huh?"

"It was obvious."

"The others don't think so. _They_ haven't figured it out."

"They are suspicious, especially after Macalania. How were you fooled?"

"He knows my secrets."

"You are unsent."

Rikku stopped dead and turned around on the balls of her feet, glaring at Auron maliciously. "How did you know?" she asked, voice as cold as ice.

Auron shrugged. "The fiend at Home, your comments a few hours ago."

Rikku cursed. She knew she shouldn't have said that. Outwardly containing her turbulent emotion, she asked; "Do the others know?"

"I did not tell them. That is your own decision."

Rikku bowed her head and looked at the ground. "Thank you."

On his part, Auron was surprised. He had expected denials and shouting, then a demand not to tell Wakka and the others. Instead she was being remarkably calm about the whole thing. Maybe he had misjudged her. Had the whole cheery-airhead-teenager routine been just an act? "When?" he asked.

"The Moonflow. I didn't think you would understand…"

"I understand better than you know," he said simply. He wasn't going to tell her about himself, not quite yet.

Rikku walked up to him. "Show me your face," she asked.

Against all his instinct, Auron did, and Rikku looked into his eyes. Her scrutiny was unnerving. It reminded him of something…

Rikku looked into Auron's eyes. He stared directly back at her, and through all her differences, their viewpoints on life, and their completely opposite demeanours, Rikku sensed that here was a kindred spirit. She didn't know how right she was. Auron was the first to look away, and Rikku grinned. _Not such a cold-hearted guy after all are you? _She thought to the man's back. Suddenly Auron turned around and looked back at her.

"Care to spar?" he asked.

Rikku looked confused for a second. She could have sworn she had heard something in his voice then. Must have been her imagination. She nodded once. Auron looked away, not letting Rikku see his face, or the fact that he had went slightly red. He was _embarrassed?_ _Him?_ He counted ten steps, then turned and faced Rikku, who was drawing her glove from her thigh-sheath and checking the points.

Rikku looked back at Auron, and specifically the sword on his back. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea… _But then a little voice in her told her she would be all right.

Auron turned back to Rikku and bowed. The young Al Bhed did the same. He straightened back up, just in time to see her swipe at his head. Unfair. He didn't have time to bring his sword up to bear, so he just ducked, Rikku's fist passing over his head. He swung his sword from his hip at her, but she easily dodged it.

At first glance, it looked like a horribly unfair fight. He was much taller than her, and his blade was bigger, but it took time for him to prepare his swings, while she could slip in and out of his defences. She jabbed him in the side with her fist, and he had to ignore it to prepare his swing. He hated to admit it, but she was going to win. The match ended after about ten minutes of sharp jabs in the side.

Rikku was tired though. Her style of fighting was much more tiring than his. She looked up at Auron. The man seemed to have infinite stamina. "How do you do that?" she asked, out of breath.

"Do what?" he asked, not tired at all.

Rikku sighed and was about to go inside for rest when a distant roar sounded. She spun around to where the sound had come from, which happened to be somewhere in the clouds. "What the hell was that?" she asked. Then she heard the ship's PA crackle to life above her and Cid's voice speak in Al Bhed.

_"Rikku? What's going on up there?"_

Rikku looked around for the PA's speaker. She saw it, and the microphone next to it.

"Vydran! Something shouted through the clouds!"

_"Get back inside! We're approaching Bevelle!"_

At the word 'Bevelle' Auron's head swung around to look at her. "What about Bevelle?" he asked Rikku quickly.

Rikku turned to look at him. "Cid says we're getting nearer, why?"

"Evrae."

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Tidus and Lulu looked out at the clouds, specifically at a small dot on the horizon that seemed to be getting bigger. The young blitzer turned to the Black Mage. "And that is..?"

"The guardian wyrm Evrae. It defends Bevelle from intruders."

Tidus squinted, then turned back to Lulu. "And exactly what is the point of having a flying guard when there are no flying attackers?"

Lulu frowned. "No-one is sure. Fiends was the explanation until now. The only people to attack this way in the last century have been, well, _us._"

"Hedging their bets?"

"Maybe…"

Cid turned to look at the four remaining guardians. "Well?" he said.

"Well what?" Wakka asked.

"Are you going to go and fight that thing or what?" he asked, as if it was obvious.

Wakka looked like he was about to complain, then shut his mouth and sighed, walking off to the hanger. Tidus looked at Lulu and shrugged, following.

"Doesn't want much does he?" he whispered under his breath.

Cid waited until they had left before turning to Brother. "Are the missiles prepared?" he asked him. Brother nodded.

"All we have left."

"Good. Give them their chance first, then fire on the thing when it gets close." He turned to the PA system.

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Auron and Rikku looked at the dot that was Evrae, one that was rapidly turning into a line. "And Evrae is…?" she asked him.

"It protects Bevelle," he replied.

"Oh. Well, that clears it up, thanks." She turned to go back to the elevator, and was surprised when it didn't open. She nearly whacked into it. Looking back up at the PA's mic, she cupped her mouth in her hands and shouted to it: "Hey Cid! Open the door!"

She waited for his reply. None was forthcoming.

Auron watched Rikku try and hail her father, and then walked over to the door. When her shouts didn't hasten it's opening, he reached down and tried to work his fingernails under the door. Seeing what he was doing, Rikku bent down and tried the same thing. After about a minute of heaving and straining, all they had found out was that it wasn't designed to open like that. Rikku fell back against the door, looking out at the approaching form of Evrae. She turned to look at Auron.

"I think we have a problem."

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Tidus stood next to the heavy-duty door leading to the lift. "Cid, open the door please," he said for what must have been the third time. He tapped his foot on the floor to emphasise the fact, looking up at the PA. Cid might not be able to see him, but he knew he could sure as well _hear_ him.

Wakka ran up beside them from looking out the window. "Er, guys? That things getting mighty close now, and I wouldn't want to be there when it gets here," he said.

Lulu instantly looked around at him. "Aren't Sir Auron and Rikku…?" she asked quickly.

Tidus just stared back at her for a few seconds, and then ran back towards the bridge as fast as he could go.

Wakka looked at Tidus. "They up there?" he asked. Tidus nodded.

"Rikku went to cool off. Auron followed."

Wakka cursed. "Great. That huge thing coming at us like a bat out of the Farplane and we stuck here inside…" he kicked the nearest wall, and got a stubbed toe for his trouble.

On his part, Cid was wondering why the door to the deck wouldn't open. He could have sworn that he seen Brother cycle the lock, but he couldn't see them. _And_ no-one was speaking to them on the PA. He was about to ask Brother to run a test when Tidus ran back into the bridge, looking upset. "What now?" Cid asked.

"Door… won't open." Tidus panted. He paused to get his breath back, then continued. "Auron and Rikku are on the deck, and we can't get out there." Cid's face went slightly paler, and he instantly turned back to Brother, shouting a stream of Al Bhed at him. Tidus only picked up about half of it. Something about the door and a 'system-check', whatever that was. Brother shouted down to the Al Bhed to his left, who took the controls. Brother immediately walked over to the next panel and ripped it from the wall. Revealing a mass of circuits and wires. Tidus couldn't see a thing, but he knew something must be up, as Brother turned back to Cid holding two wires that Tidus thought looked the same, but must have had some importance to Cid, because he turned back to Tidus.

"The door and PA are broke," he said simply.

Tidus groaned. "Can you fix 'em?" he asked.

Cid nodded. "Give us a minute. Tell the other sot be ready. That thing will be here in about…" Cid turned back to see how close Evrae was to the ship, but didn't finish the sentence, because at that moment the entire ship shook, and they saw Evrae's claws slicing at something on the deck.

"Rikku…" Cid whispered, then went back to trying to fix the door mechanism.

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Rikku dodged below Evrae's claws, hearing them gouge through the metal behind her. She ran away from the huge creature to where Auron was still trying to open the door. "Any luck?" she asked.

"Guess," he said, still calm.

Rikku groaned and turned back to where Evrae was trying to wrench it's hand from the deck. She looked at the PA. "Where the hell _are_ you!?" she screamed at the small black object, willing the others to appear. Rikku cursed her father. She had _told_ him to make sure everything worked _before_ they flew it! He hadn't listened of course, and now she and Auron were trapped, alone on deck, with a huge monster entirely capable of reducing them to a bloody pulp. She saw it raise it's tail and swing it around at the deck. She ducked, and then felt the air over her whoosh past as the tail whirled over her head. She rolled and stood up, Evrae watching her from a distance. Suddenly it bared it's teeth at her and sunk under her field of view. She was about to go when she heard Auron behind her.

"Rikku!"

Rikku turned, and saw that Auron, instead of trying to open the door, had smashed a nearby panel, revealing a bunch of wires. Rikku sighed and ran over to it. _Here_ was something she could do. Shooing Auron away she sat down on the floor and went to work on the panels.

Auron smiled and turned away. So serious when she had to be… He turned back to the now-empty sky and scanned the horizon. He walked up to the side and looked over the edge. He heard a crackle and turned back to where Rikku was smiling and pointing at the PA. Seconds later they heard Cid's voice boom out from the speaker.

_"You OK?" _

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_"We're fine!"_ Rikku's voice shouted back, and Lulu and the other let out a sigh of breath. They could have both been killed and there would have been no indication. Tidus turned back to Lulu. "How long 'till he gets the door open?" he asked her. As if she knew.

Lulu shrugged, and went back to looking out of the window. She saw a shape slide by her and looked down to see Evrae flow under the hip. She whirled. "Cid! Let them it's coming out from under them!"

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Rikku was back to trying to fix the mess of wiring and boards that this ship had as an excuse for automatic doors when she heard Cid's warning. She turned to where Auron was standing and was about to shout him when…

Auron didn't even see it coming. He felt a sudden breeze on the side of his head and was about to turn when something hit his side with the force of an angry mountain. The world spun and he seemed to fly through the air, landing painfully on his side near the edge of the airship.

Rikku dropped what she was doing and ran to Auron's side. She couldn't see any blood, but the red coat was probably hiding it. She slid to a halt and knelt next to Auron's prone form, reaching into her pockets for a potion, and realising she had only expected a friendly match, and not to be fighting for their lives. She screamed in exasperation to the air and looped her arms through Auron's, dragging him off to the (relative) safety of the doorway. She forgot about the huge dragon-beast behind her.

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Everyone looked around as the door slowly began to cycle open. In relief they all ran forwards and got on as it began it's slow trip upwards.

"I hope they're both alright," Lulu said under her breath. As one the others nodded. They all reached down to their weapons to check that everything was there. Although Khimari didn't seem to have pockets he always seemed to be able to keep much the same inventory as the rest. Tidus wondered how this was. The lift ground to a halt and the door slid open. Tidus instantly ran out, to be greeted by Rikku dragging a wounded Auron towards them. She looked at them through gritted teeth, and no-one had _ever_ seen as great an expression of relief as the others saw on her face. Tidus smiled back, then looked behind her. His expression turned from greeting to horror as he saw Evrae puling its head back and taking a deep breath. Rikku looked back in time to see Evrae throw it's head forward, and covered Auron with her body just in time for a flow of poison washed over them both. The other could only watch as they were engulfed by Evrae's breath. Khimari roared at the creature and charged straight toward it, ignoring the stinging pain from the foul liquid and throwing his javelin straight at Evrae. It caught in the beast's eye, an it screamed in rage and it altered it's path, flying parallel to the ship, but several hundred metres away. Lulu and Wakka instantly ran to Rikku and Auron's side, Lulu taking Rikku and Wakka taking Auron they hoisted them up by their arms and supported them to the doorway, getting them safely out of harms' way. Two Al Bhed who had nothing better to do were waiting there with expressions of terror on their faces, and Lulu walked right up to the nearest one. "Spiran?" she shouted.

The first Al Bhed nodded. "I know… a little."

"Good! Take them below! Care for them!" she said, slowly so they would understand, and loudly so she could be heard over the engines and Evrae's screams of pain. The Al Bhed nodded and took the weight off Lulu's arm, leading Rikku off. His companion did the same, and Lulu whispered a small prayer to Yevon for their recovery before turning back to the battle.

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Rikku opened her eyes, and saw green. She frowned and reached up to rub here eyes. She felt an unpleasant itching all over her skin. She tried to scratch, but moving only made it worse. The itching turned to heat, and the heat turned to burning. Rikku whimpered, and tried to see through the green haze in front of her eyes. She felt something grab her hand, and looked sideways to see a shape in, probably, red grasping her hand. Rikku squeezed back, trying to compress the pain and the burning into the space in front of her. She felt Auron's hand squeeze back, and she leant back and closed her eyes again, trying to block out the green burning substance. She didn't know when she feel asleep, but she must have, because the last thing she remembered was her hand going limp in Auron's.

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Tidus wandered into the medical bay after the battle, looking for the closest thing this ship had to a healer. They had barely beaten Evrae, a lucky strike from Khimari's lance knocking out the thing's other eye and sending it crashing down to Bevelle, dead or useless, who knew? He walked into the bay, using his sword to prop himself up. He looked around for the medic, and saw Rikku and Auron lying on separate beds, hands clasped together. Tidus smiled and turned to walk out. He would find the medic later. There were still a couple of hours till they reached the Holy Capital's temple. Right now he would sleep.

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

Ouch. I really need to stop writing these chapters at 11pm at night. 0_o

And so the Aurikku kicks off. Slow at first, but it will happen.


	14. Well, It's A Start

This chapter was co-written with Rinoa Heartilly. See if you can tell who wrote what. (Clue: Look at the speech marks) 

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 14: Well, It's A Start…**

Rikku groaned slightly as a light shone into her eyes, waking her from the deep slumber that was too rare on a summoner's pilgrimage. She began batting away the irritation with annoyance as the illumination passed over her face, screwing up her nose to show her discomfort. The disturbance was duly removed and she rested the previously flailing limb over her eyes, muttering darkly in Al Bhed. She lay motionless; her eyes still closed as she concentrated on listening to the rise and fall of her chest to try and lull herself back to sleep. The rhythmic breathing she heard was not her own; she realised with a start. It was more measured than her own hyper, spasmodic breaths and was infused with a slight snuffle, perhaps a light snore. She realised that only the hand she had used to rid herself of the light was free, the other was held in a firm, callused grip. Rikku was torn between opening her eyes and risking disappointment, or leaving the verdant oculars firmly closed and daydreaming about whom her "mystery man" could be. She decided to let herself dream a little longer before the disappointment. 

Rikku wiggled her fingers tentatively in the man's grasp, feeling her own small appendage dwarfed in comparison. She heard a light sigh from the direction of the sleeping male and she froze, wilting a little with relief when he grunted before shifting only slightly. She felt her hand rubbed being rubbed in gentle spirals as a gesture of comfort (_For whom? Him or me?) by a battle-hardened finger and was touched by the unconscious act. The young Al Bhed grinned, cracking open her eyes and turning them to face the man who looked so tender as he slept. _

It was the last person she would have expected and yet…she was glad it was he. The feeling took her by surprise, she was unaware she had let anyone intrude into the confines of her heart, let alone _this_ man. She expected the displeasure to set in presently, but the elation held firm. _Could it be that I actually have feelings for him? I didn't even think I liked him! Well, like tytto says, look where thought got you, Rikku._ She made a face at the thought before turning her attentions to the man, studying his prone form greedily. 

Salt and pepper hair flopped softly into his eyes; the well-defined eyebrows for once not knitted together. His face was relaxed as he slumbered. In it, she could see the traces of youth that still lingered, despite their having been stolen so cruelly by circumstances that forced upon him a life of hardship. The deep frown lines were gone and peace was at home on the handsome visage. The strong, dignified nose made shadows dance over the scar that ran from forehead over eye to end on his cheek, mingling with the shades cast by his long, thick eyelashes. His chiselled jaw, rough with stubble as always, worked slightly as he ground his teeth as he dreamt. Rikku ran a finger over his generous lips gently, surprised at how soft they were against the delicate fingertip. On impulse, she leaned forward; pursing her lips to brush his own and trailing a hand lightly down his face. 

The russet eye snapped open, his hand catching her wrist in a painful grip as she squeaked in surprise. As he fully awakened to take in Rikku's blush he released the limb and sat upright. She scurried back to her own cot, nursing the wrist he had grabbed. Then she heard it. A slow, deep rumbling at first, building to a gravelled chuckle. He eyed her in amusement as she narrowed the verdant spirals at him, sticking out her tongue in a fit of childishness. 

"Is this always how you wake those unfortunate enough to share a room with you?" He asked dryly, an eyebrow quirked as he watched the colour rise up her neck. 

"Tysh ed, Auron! You scared me half to death!" She folded her arms across her chest and stared resolutely at the wall. 

"Not really a problem, Rikku." He quipped. 

She glowered at him, a death glare he would have been proud to call his own. "Shut up." 

The two sat in silence for a moment before the older Guardian cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. That was…uncalled for." 

"Yes, it was." 

"Well?" 

She regarded him coolly. "Well what?" 

He rolled his eye. "Do you accept my apology?" 

"I'll think about it." 

"_Fine_. Have it your way, the hard way as usual." 

The quiet invaded the room once more, and Auron again found he felt the need to break the reticence. "You startled me. I'm not used to having a pouting Al Bhed in my face when I awake." 

"I'm not used to having a grumpy Guardian holding my hand when _I wake up!" She shot back, watching in smug satisfaction as he realised that he had indeed been clasping her hand. _

"Well, then we're both not used to it." He stated triumphantly. He frowned inwardly as he realised what he had just let spill from his mouth. He knew it didn't make sense but he wasn't about to back down. He groaned as she giggled. 

"That doesn't even make sense!" 

Auron threw his hands in the air. "You drive me to distraction! No wonder I don't make sense anymore!" 

A half smile tugged at her lips and she placed her hands on her hips. "Did you ever make sense? I'll put a hundred gil on 'no'." 

Despite himself, he felt the smile work its way onto his mouth. "Whatever. Believe what you will." 

Rikku edged cautiously toward him again before balancing herself next to him. She tickled him under the chin despite the glare she received and laughed. "You know, you're kinda cute when you smile!" 

"Cute?" He despaired and batted her hand away playfully. _Auron can be playful? Have fun? Well, this is a first! _

"Yeah, with those big ol' dimples!" She pinched his cheek and grinned at the confusion on his face caused by her antics. 

"Rikku, you are…something else." He shook his head and swung his weight from the bed, shrugging into his robe before affixing the belt and jug deftly. 

He looked around for his glasses before noticing them perched precariously atop the blonde's head. He sighed and made to remove them, frowning as she hopped back a step away from his reach. She giggled as he tried again with the same result. 

"Rikku, give me my glasses." His tone would have warned most people that his orders were to be adhered to and were not open to discussion. Rikku wasn't most people. 

"You have to catch me!" She trilled in a singsong voice. 

She jumped away from him, laughing as he gamely took up the challenge. She scrambled from bed to bed, her delight showing in whoops and spontaneous fits of giggles. Auron tried to figure out a pattern to her dash and soon realised that there was no logic to her dart, she was totally random as she jumped gaily from one bed to another. Gritting his teeth, he waited until she came near and lunged, knocking her on to her back with ease. Auron pinned her small arms down with one strong hand and grinned in triumph as she ceased her wriggling beneath him. Rikku looked up at him, flushed with exertion and laughter, her eyes twinkling. 

"Ok, ok. You won!" 

He retrieved the spectacles from her head, frowning when he noticed they were bent out of shape. He showed them to the Al Bhed with a raised eyebrow. Rikku bit her lip, trying to smile innocently. 

"Oopsie?" 

Auron nodded sagely, the words foreign and thick on his tongue. "Big oopsie." 

She grinned in return. "Sorry, I'll fix them! No problem for the great Rikku!" 

She noticed he was staring at her strangely before he turned his head abruptly. She took a deep breath and brought her lips up to meet his, brushing them with the lightest of kisses. To her surprise, he responded, his burnished bronze eye closing as he caressed her lips with his own in return. Hesitantly, she probed the inside of his mouth, freezing when she saw his eyebrows shoot up in shock. To her relief, his tongue intertwined with her own and the two began a dance of sorts, darting in and out as each scoped the others tender hollow. 

"Rikku, I…forget it. We'll talk later, after Bevelle." Auron broke the kiss abruptly, apology in his eyes and fled the room. 

She was left sitting on his bed, touching a finger to her tingling lips. W_hy did he leave? What was he going to say? _

Outside, Auron leaned against the door heavily, cursing himself. _What the hell was that? Why did you leave, Auron? The girl's slipped under that barrier you built up around yourself, hasn't she? You wanted her to, so why are you resisting it now when she comes to you? Gods Auron, you are a stubborn, stupid asshole. He nodded in agreement to his inner monologue and began bracing himself for their next meeting, glowering at Tidus as he strolled past innocently. The young blitzer thought about talking to the Guardian, deciding against it when Auron began to look pointedly as his sword. He gulped and backed away slowly to the bridge, muttering under his breath. _

"Crazy, he's absolutely nuts! Damn freaky Auron…" 

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Rikku walked onto the bridge last. Seeing everyone was already here, she quietly moved into a corner and listened to Cid's plans to rappel down to the temple. She vaguely heard Wakka complaining of the plan's implausibility in the background but she wasn't really listening, instead thinking to herself about what had just happened. 

_What changed? He always seemed so cold before… Is it because he knows I'm unsent? I know he felt something there, but will he do now? _

She was jolted from her thoughts by Lulu's voice behind her. She turned to face the older guardian.

"Are you alright now?" Lulu asked.

Rikku nodded. "Yeah, I was a little fazed, but we're fine now."

Lulu raised an eyebrow. "'We'?"

Rikku silently cursed, she had meant to say 'me'. "Me and Auron," she said grudgingly.

Lulu nodded like she understood. "We go into Bevelle in a few minutes, be ready," she said simply, and walked out of the bridge.

Rikku frowned slightly. She didn't think they would get here so quickly. She had wanted to talk with Auron first. Sighing In resignation, she got walked off the bridge, towards the door to her room, to prepare the equipment for the coming confrontation with Seymour.

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Auron stood on the observation deck, looking out of the windows, silently berating himself.

_You were foolish. You let her get to you. You shouldn't have responded. _

_What if I wanted to? _

_You _can't_! You have a job to do! _

_Where does it say that I'm not allowed to care? _

_Loving her will cause you pain. You can't protect her like you protect Yuna. _

_I can protect her… _

_Then you've failed before you started. She's _already_ dead._

Auron felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see emerald-green eyes staring into his. He tried to say hello, but his tongue froze up and he just stared. Rikku seemed to see his indecision and broke the uncomfortable silence.

"We're going down," she said quietly.

Auron nodded. Rikku turned to walk away towards the deck they would be descending from. He watched her leave. _Do it now you fool!_ He shouted at himself. "Rikku!"

Rikku stopped and turned around to face him, hope in her eyes. "Yes?" she asked.

"Take care."

Rikku's smiled faltered slightly, returned, and she walked away towards the elevator onto the top deck. _Take care?_ It wasn't much.

But it was a start.

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

Like I said, this chapter was written with Rinoa Heartilly, and she's _really_ good. She's also on my favourites list, go check her out.


	15. Descent Into Bevelle

Ah, I finally got here, after two extra chapters… 

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 15: Descent into Bevelle**

Rikku looked down on the great capital city of Spira as the airship hovered on the periphery of the palaces defences. She leant over the huge chains that they would have to slide down, and she turned back to Tidus.

"Was this your bright idea?" she asked him testily.

The young blitzer looked offended. "Can you think of a better one?" he asked.

"Rikku, what's wrong? You seem more… angry… lately…" Lulu commented, also silently wondering how she was going to get down there in her dress.

Rikku shook her head as if to clear it of whatever was making her so ratty. "Sorry, I guess I've just been worried," she told the others.

Tidus crossed his arms and looked around the others. "Are we gonna go or what?" he asked them.

Auron grunted and moved towards the chains. When he walked past Rikku, he whispered you her; "Take care,"

"You too," she quickly replied.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Wakka asked Brother, who was watching from the hanger door. Rikku shouted the same question in Al Bhed, and got a reply.

"Perfectly!" Brother replied cheerfully.

_Yeah, like Keyakku's machina craft was safe…_ Rikku silently thought to herself. She relayed the answer to Wakka.

Wakka still looked sceptical. "I dunno man, sliding down these things, what if we fall off?" he asked nervously. Lulu pointed, and they saw Auron hunched down over one chain, tying something around his foot, and the other end to the chain. Wakka finally gave up and moved towards the chain. Tidus gave a whoop and nearly _ran_ to it.

Rikku watched him and sighed. _Why can't _I_ get that excited?_ she asked herself.

_I could have, once…_ she thought, then approached the chain. She heard Cid's voice over the PA.

_"Guys! Ten seconds! Get ready!"_

About nine seconds later she heard a resounding _thump_ throughout the hull, and the grappling hooks on the ends of the chains flew towards the temple, embedding themselves in the stonework

Rikku put one foot on the chain, ready to push off the airship. She looked directly at the other end of the chain, at the guards, and, taking a deep breath, moved her other foot off the airship. Gravity instantly took hold, and she slid down the chain towards Bevelle.

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Seymour watched with interest as six small dots flew down the long thin wires towards the temple entrance. He had to admit he was surprised that they would do something so forward and daring. If it had been him he would have came in via the city proper, rather than rappel straight into the heavily armed temple. He watched as the guardians fought their way through the assembled masses of Yevon guards. Pathetic fools, he had _told_ them to create some more Evrae's, but the other Maester's had vetoed the proposal, saying it would be too expensive to sustain more than two of the beasts. He sighed in exasperation as one after the other all his troops were defeated. He heard a chuckle behind him and turned to see Yuna staring at him, an expression of humour on her face.

"You're in trouble now," she said, grinning out of character.

Seymour frowned at her and made his choice. He grasped her hand and virtually dragged her towards the alter where Mika was waiting patiently with an I-could-wait-here-all-day look on his face.

"Having trouble with your wedding guests Maester?" he asked him.

"Quiet and do the ceremony," Seymour replied shortly.

Mika sighed and was about to begin the chant when he heard the shout behind him.

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Tidus and the other stared at Seymour with hatred in their eyes as he stood at the top of the walkway looking down on them, holding Yuna by the arm.

"Let her go!" Tidus shouted.

"Or?" Seymour asked him.

"We'll kick your ass!" he replied.

Seymour snapped his finger and Rikku heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see yet more faceless and identical Yevon guards running up the steps towards them. Then she realised that there was no more walkway, and the only way out was through the soldiers.

"Uh, guys…" she said quietly.

Seymour heard her voice and turned his attention to her. "Rikku!" he said softly. "How nice to see you again."

"That is not going to work anymore Seymour," she said, voice as cold as ice. "I know what you tried to do."

"Rikku, you have to understand…" Seymour said.

"No, she doesn't." Auron said, stepping forward.

Seymour looked at Auron. "Do you presume to think you understand her like I do? I know…"

"I know her well enough," Auron said, stepping in front of Rikku.

"Then you know that she is…" Seymour began, only for Auron to quickly cut him off.

"I know it," he said.

Seymour smiled at her. "I am disappointed Rikku, I thought you…"

The others watched the three-way confrontation in confusion. "What?" Tidus asked Lulu, who shrugged.

"Stop!" a voice shouted from behind Seymour. He wheeled, to see Yuna stood on the edge of the platform, ankles hanging in space. Seymour looked at her and sighed in exasperation.

"All right, where are you going with this?" he asked Yuna.

She looked at with resolve in her eyes. "Let my people… I mean friends… go, or I jump," she said, and took another small step into the air.

She was barely keeping her balances, Tidus saw. "Yuna!" he shouted, approaching her, only to be stopped by an armed guard.

"This is foolish. If you fall, you'll die," Seymour said slowly. In reply, Yuna took another step backwards. Seymour sighed again and waved to the guards. They lowered their weapons, and the guardians slowly edged away from the scene before them, albeit hesitantly.

Yuna looked at them. "Don't worry, I can fly," she mouthed to Tidus. "Believe," she said out loud, and fell backwards off the ledge.

"_Yuna!"_ Tidus shouted, and was only stopped from running up to the ledge by Auron's restraining hand.

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Seymour watched as Yuna fell.

_Pity. I needed… wait! _

He watched as four balls of light flew upwards to the sky, and then a sleek shape fly down from the heavens and catch Yuna in its wings.

_Valefor!_ Seymour thought, recognising the Aeon. _Damn!_ He watched as the Aeon flew away, Yuna riding it. He sighed and waved to the guard closest to him. The guard approached hesitantly.

"Sir?" he asked.

"Kill the guardians, I have no more use for them," he said.

The guard nodded and was about to turn back towards when a voice sounded out through the air.

"_Cover your eyes!"_

Seymour heard something make a tinkling noise near his feet, and watched as a small object rolled next to him. He barely had time to cover his eyes as the flashbomb exploded, engulfing the area in light and sound. "Don't let them get away!" he shouted, pointing at the fleeing guardians. As the guards gave chase, Seymour blinked and tried to clear his eyes. He reached behind him and removed his wand from his cloak. Aiming in the general direction of the other guardians, Seymour cast the strongest Demi spell he could, and watched.

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To the fleeing Rikku, the effect was as if someone had reached into her chest and tried to physically remove her heart. She gasped and stumbled as the shard of metal in her heart was wrenched backwards in the direction that the gravity spell had been cast. She fell other knees and put her hands on her chest, as if by covering the area she could make it stop. She saw the others running, and tried to call to Auron, but all that came out was a feeble "help…" When the next spasm came she fell over and rolled onto her back, staring at the sky as the metal dagger near her heart wriggled around in her vitals. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, drawing blood. She felt something tear, and distantly felt blood wash over her hands. She opened her eyes and saw a shadow cast across her. She saw a Yevon guard look down on her, his feet on either side of her body, and raise his rifle to her forehead. She looked him straight in the face, waiting for the final bullet, but instead he merely reversed the rifle and hit her with it, the pain fading as she lost consciousness.

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Seymour saw the guard club Rikku unconscious, and then raise his rifle in both hands like an axe, ready to deliver the killing blow. He quickly raised his wand again and a jet of fire scorched through the air towards him, knocking the rifle out of his hands. The guard turned in anger to find out who had stopped him finishing off his victim, but stopped when he saw Seymour staring at him dangerously. He quickly made the prayer of Yevon and backed away to pursue the other escapees.

Seymour walked up to Rikku's bent and broken form and looked down at her. Strange how people looked so peaceful after being brutally attacked. He brushed a few bloody hairs from her face and called to two more guards.

They approached him slowly. "Sir?" one asked.

"Carry this girl to the infirmary, fix her up, then take her to Room 101. Make the Doctor wait for me there," he said. He did not have to tell them which doctor it was. Certain rooms carried their own reputations, and Room 101 was such a place.

"What about the blood sir?" one asked.

Seymour looked down at the pool of dark red liquid. "Leave it," he said, and walked away. One of the soldiers picked up the unconscious Rikku and carried her away, and the other looked at the pool of claret that remained behind, but did not comment. The last soldier, who had clubbed Rikku, stayed behind to see no-one remained to threaten the Maester. He heard a whistling noise behind him and was about to turn around, but something hit him on the head, and he heard no more.

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Tidus ran into the room last, closing the door behind him as he caught his breath, staring at the others. "That, was close," he said, wheezing. Why did they have to build Bevelle with so many stairs?? He could have _sworn_ they had went _up_ stairs on the way towards the Maester, but some freak of physics had made it seem as I they were also moving up as they had run away. This place made no sense. No looked up in a haze, and saw Auron looking at him.

"Where is Rikku?" the older guardian asked, slight panic edging his voice.

Tidus frowned, hadn't she…? "I thought she was with you?" he asked.

Lulu shook her head. "We saw her behind you," she said.

As one, all heads turned to look at the door. Suddenly, Wakka reached for the door and before anyone could stop him he had ran back outside into the clearing smoke. Those Al Bhed built _good_ flashbombs.

Wakka ran out into the stairway they had run up to get in (and out, freaky…) to Bevelle. He scanned the area, looking for more traces of Yevon guards/machina remaining. As he saw it, he had finally realised that maybe he had been too hard on Rikku. He had treated her like a sub-human, and he had some catching up to do. He ran through the stairway, expecting bullets to zing over his head at any moment. Instead he was greeted by silence. He walked forwards calmly, and if he had really been looking he might have seen the blood before he stepped in it. He heard a _squelch_ noise, and lifted up his foot to see exactly what he had stood in. _Doggy do, great…_ he thought, then saw that it was red ad dripping. He started to put down his foot and, taking a deep breath, Wakka looked down, and saw the pool of blood that was slowly flowing down the stairs, he dropped his foot and slipped, throwing his hands out to stop his fall. He looked around and saw the pool of blood that had flowed down the stairs and stopped at the bottom rung. If their had been any observers, they would have seen Wakka nearly float up, so fast did he raise himself up off the ground. He looked at his hands and attempted to wipe them on the floor, only succeeding in getting them even more red-stained. H backed off, fast, and literally _threw_ the door open, closing it behind him with a slam. He took a deep breath of clean air, then looked around.

"Well?" Lulu asked, and then saw the blood on Wakka. "Wakka! Were you attacked?" she asked.

Auron, in his gut already fearing the worst, walked straight up to Wakka. "Where is she?" he asked.

Wakka shook his head and held up his dripping-red hand to the others. "Rikku won't be joining us," he said quietly.

Auron jerked back as if physically struck. _No…_

"_Crap!"_ Tidus exclaimed. Lulu and Khimari just lowered their heads and said a prayer for the girl's soul. Wakka said nothing.

_Why does everyone I care about die!_ Auron asked himself. His parents killed by an attack by Sin on their village while he was away playing, Braska, Jecht, and now Rikku. Was it some kind of curse, was he damned to lose everyone he loved…

_Wait, loved? _He cared about Rikku, but did he love her? They had hared one moment on the airship after Evrae, and before they went into Bevelle, but did that qualify as love.

He looked at Tidus. He had found it unusual at first that the boy had seemed to willingly to sacrifice his life to protect someone that he had barely met. Even after Rikku's revelation at the collapsing Home that Yuna would die when the pilgrimage was completed, he had still vowed to follow her, and to help her find a way to survive. Even Auron could see that it went deeper than mere hormones. Was love the willingness to let yourself go to someone, and give yourself up so that they might have a chance? If it was, then…

_Yes. I do. _

_Did…_

He walked past the others, and turned to face them as he went down towards the Cloister of Trails. "We have a summoner to find," he said.

"Yeah…" Tidus said, still upset, but reassured by the need to save Yuna. The others followed his lead, and they walked down the spiral stairway, into the bowels of Yevon's home.

Auron walked ahead, so the others did not see the expression on his face. _Rikku. I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, I'll save Yuna, _

_I promise. _

****

This fic has already had several major plot changes. When I was first designed it, I had Rikku die at this moment. Seymour did not bother to stop the guard, and the he shot her in the head. Wakka would have carried her body back in to Auron, and she would have dissipated into pyreflies in front of his eyes. Her presence would have continued to haunt the fic (and Auron) until the last chapter, where Auron was finally sent and they met up again in the Farplane. The End. However I changed this fairly early on, since I put this fic in the same timeline as my big FF trilogy (go read **Diamond Dust** and **Echoes of the Past now, please), and so I have to let her live. Before I did this, I had other endings planned, and I'll probably publish them after the credits roll, as a kind of Alternate Ending/Deleted Scenes thing.**


	16. Saving Private Rikku

She's not dead. So don't worry yet. Yet. 

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 16: Saving Private Rikku **

Auron stood back as Tidus and Khimari levered open the door to the Fayth. The Cloister here had been pure hell to get through the last time as well. Being thrown about barely visible pathways on a disk the radius of his sword hadn't been any more comforting the second time. He stared at the pair as they worked, not really seeing, instead wondering to himself what had gone wrong. 

_If I had looked back. If we hadn't threatened Seymour. If Yuna hadn't jumped off the roof. If…_

But there were too many 'ifs' that were unchangeable, and thinking about them would only drive him crazy. That didn't stop him though. Somewhere deep down in his heart he couldn't stop thinking that Rikku's death was his fault. The only consolation he could think of was that at least she wasn't suffering anymore. 

Some consolation. 

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Rikku woke up, and hurt everywhere. 

At least, it felt like everywhere. For second she imagined she was back underwater, dieing in her metal tomb. She curled up tighter and willed the feeling to go away. She knew it was a feeling, this time. She was alive (sort of) and she was here. And that was what mattered. She took a deep breath, gathered what little strength she felt she had, and opened her eyes. 

She nearly shut them again, the exertion of that one simple act nearly exhausting her, and she view not helping. She stared around as much as she could, but everything was blurred and it only gave her a headache. She sighed and lay back, trying to get some more sleep. She opened her eyes wide in surprise when her head immediately fell forward again. 

She shook her head slightly, giving herself what felt like a minor lobotomy, but clearing her view somewhat. The view made her wish she hadn't. She found herself staring at some kind of machina. Then she heard a click, and a voice speak up from the side. 

"Subject is semi-conscious. Correcting." 

Rikku saw something flash past her vision, but it moved too quickly and was gone before she could find out what it is. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her arm and a weird feeling as something was injected into her upper-arm. She sighed as a warm fuzzy feeling descended on her, and the pain vanished. She closed her eyes and lay back, savouring the warm feeling. Then she felt another jab in her other arm, and the feeling vanished, to be replaced by the cold hard surfaces and colours of reality. 

"Painkillers and Stimulants administered, subject is conscious and responding to normal stimuli." 

Rikku looked around to see who was talking, and was confronted by a small an in a white coat wearing thick glasses. She saw he was looking at her intently, and tried to wave to him. She couldn't move her arm, and turned her head to try to look. Her entire arm was encased in various straps and buckles. She began to panic, and looked at her other one. The same. She looked down and saw that both f her legs had been strapped together. She was held upright on a metal bed, in some kind of cross-shape. The small man noticed her panic, and approached her. He wasn't much bigger than her either. 

"Are you awake?" he asked. She didn't reply. The man sighed in exasperation, and then slapped her across the cheek. She looked surprised for a second, and then he raised his hand. 

"Yes," she said quickly. 

The doctor smiled. "Excellent." He picked up what Rikku recognised was a small recording device and spoke into it in precise tones. "Subject zero-seven, Al Bhed. Beginning tests." He walked over to her left, and Rikku watched him move over to a small table. She tried to look past him, but he was obscuring the view. Then he turned back, and Rikku saw he was holding something. Something small and sharp. The man started to walk back towards her, instrument in hand. 

"Wait!" Rikku shouted desperately. 

The man paused. "What?" he asked testily, continuing his approach. 

"What are you doing?" she shouted to him as he came closer. 

The man looked at her as if she was mentally-deficient. "I am a scientist, and I have been given permission by the Maesters… well, three of them… to investigate the physical processes and changes within the Unsent. This I will do," he said simply, as if giving a presentation. He raised his arm and spoke into the recorder again. "Beginning preliminary exam, subject is alive and conscious. I shall begin with an examination of any differences in internal structure of the Unsent that may result from the dying process." He switched the recorder off and put it on the table beside him. Rikku's attention as forcibly drawn to the fact that the entire work surface was an incredibly dark red in colour. And she didn't think it was paint. 

The doctor raised the small scalpel and looked at her. Rikku breathed a small sigh of relief. Then he reached behind him and brought a small mask from his pocket. He looked back up at her after putting this on. 

"We used to do this with anaesthetic, but we discovered it gave inaccurate results. Now close your eyes." He said. 

"Why…?" Rikku said weakly, looking at the thing in his hand. 

The doctor reached down and raised Rikku's t-shirt, putting the small scalpel to her ribcage. "Because this is going to hurt." 

"A lot." 

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Auron stared at the guards impassively as they pointed their guns at them. Somehow he didn't think they were going to get out of this one quite as easily. Tidus stood behind the others, holding Yuna in his arms, and looked defeated. Wakka and Lulu were staring past the guards at Kinoc, who stood there with a look of smugness on his face so solid it could have been punched. They dropped their weapons at the barked command and just stood their, glaring at the temple guards. 

Auron walked past the guards, who tried to stop him, but Kinoc waved and the guard stopped. Auron walked right up to the Maester's face and stared at him balefully. 

"What is it, old friend?" Kinoc said mockingly. He knew he had won. 

"Since when were you a pawn of Seymour?" Auron asked simply. 

Kinoc's eyes flashed, and he nodded to the guards. They moved forward, guns armed, motioning to the prisoners to move off. Tidus looked for a second that he might resist, but he was carrying Yuna, and Auron shook his head at the boy. Tidus glared at Auron for a few seconds, then realised that he couldn't resist even if he wanted to, and followed the rest towards the door. 

As he walked along the corridors of Bevelle he felt Kinoc fall into step with him. Auron did not turn to loom at him. 

"What do you think you are going to change?" Kinoc asked him, and then answered his own question. "Nothing, that's what, the cycle will continue regardless of any petty measures that you try." 

"Yuna will stop it," Auron replied, so quietly the others did not hear. 

Kinoc shook his head in amusement. "One person cannot change the natural order of things," he said, and speeded up to go to the head of the miniature convoy. 

Auron watched him leave and wondered about the man's last comment. Was it true that one person _couldn't_ change anything? Was everything they were doing for nothing? 

He stopped there, before he let his thought processes get away from him. If nothing could be changed, then why had he followed Braska? Why did he follow Yuna, and why had Rikku died to protect the young summoner? If nothing was worth anything, then he had wasted half his life in pursuit of an unreachable goal. He didn't believe that. 

Kinoc stayed at the head of the line as they trooped down towards the holding cells. He passed the only door in this particular corridor, marked 'Room 101'. He was puzzled by the lack of guards here, but then remembered that no-one liked to guard this particular chamber of horrors. 

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The doctor washed the blood off his hands in the sink in the corner of the room. Remarkable. The Unsent were, to all intents and purposes, alive. What made them unsent had to be some kind of mental rather than physical alternation, and he needed a Monk for that. Metaphysics were not his job. He turned back to look at the small Al-Bhed girl. Pretty little thing if you ignored the scarring. He had been told her history, and knew them to be from her violent underwater encounter that had killed her. Well, at least he could heal the incisions he mad made. He stroked her gently on the cheek, but she was too far gone to respond even to that. He wiped the blood trickling down from her mouth and dribbled some water into her throat. She coughed and stared at him. He clicked his fingers in front of him and she barely responded. Perfect. 

The doctor went across to the wall and lifted up the small communication device attached to the wall. The doctor had no particular love for the Al Bhed, but he was a scientist, and forbidden technology did not even faze him. He dialled the number for the person he had been told to contact after the 'examination' had been concluded. 

"Get me Maester Seymour. No, I don't care If he's busy, he'll see me! Fine! But tell him this, _exactly_ this; the girl is ready. Thank you. You have a nice day now." 

He put down the phone. Damn bureaucracy. So many cutouts and underlings it had almost impossible to get what you want. 

He sat down on the chair and waited, observing the girl. She just stared straight ahead, occasionally coughing. He couldn't blame her. The examination had been… thorough. As an afterthought he called for an orderly to clean up the mess around her. Sanctioned or not, it would not do for the Maester to come in here and think him a _torturer. _

Oh no, not him. 

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Auron sat in the cage next to Tidus, watching as Kinoc approached from the walkway. He stared impassively as the Maester walked up to him. 

"So, when's the execution?" he asked Kinoc casually. 

Kinoc looked hurt. "Auron, what kind of person would execute a dear friend?" he said mock-wounded. 

"_You would_," Auron replied, voice like acid. 

Kinoc merely laughed and walked off, leaving Auron to his thoughts. 

_Damn that man!_ They both thought of the other, but for entirely different reasons. 

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Seymour watched impassively as the trial continued without his contribution. He had replied to the Ronso Maester's shocked query, but his mind was on other things. He had received the message from the doctor, and was now thinking how he could extricate himself from the boring spectacle without arousing suspicion. Technically torture was banned under Yevon, but medical experimentation was not. 

Thank Yevon for semantics. 

Seymour simply walked away after the short trial was over, the prisoners and Lady Yuna taken to the waterway where they were to be left to die. As he walked through the corridors to the doctor's lab he thought to himself. It was a shame that Yuna had to die, but he would find some way to fool the others and save her. He had long ago stopped belief in Yevon and gave scant lip service to its practises, preferring either technology or people to fulfil his dreams rather than some mythical deity who in reality had himself created Sin. What irony. 

He reached the doctor's 'operating room' and opened the door. He saw the doctor sitting down on his chair, and the man waved at him slightly, not taking his eyes off the figure strapped to the upright operating table. Surely it must have been easier to do it with the subject horizontal, but the doctor said he preferred his patients to be upright. Seymour had not bothered to try and change his mind. 

He stared at Rikku, seeing past he blood and healing incisions on her chest and abdomen. He brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes and looked at her. Suddenly her eyes opened and she looked directly into her eyes. Seymour took this one chance to stare directly into them looking for signs that… yes, there they were. Normal doctors would not have caught them, but he and she were the same, and Seymour could see the small yet significant things that told him what was happening to her. 

Eventually something happens to all the dead. They started off relieved at their release form life, eager to be sent. But after several weeks, something changes, they become restless and ratty. Eventually they exist in a perpetual state of anger, snapping at everyone they know, even their friends. 

The final stage in an Unsent's existence begins to emerge. They slowly, fast enough so that it can go unnoticed if no-one is around, yet so agonisingly slow that the victim knows _exactly_ what is happening to them, they become fiends. 

Seymour looked deep into Rikku's spiralled eyes. They different from normal human eyes, he could still detect the minute traces and signs that showed that the process had begun it's slow and inevitable transformation of Rikku's body. 

"Wha…?" 

Seymour frowned at the girl. She couldn't _still_ be lucid, could she? Seymour was well acquainted with the doctor's practises, and they weren't conductive to keeping his patients conscious. Or alive. 

"Rikku?" Seymour said softly. 

Rikku's head swung up. "Who…?" 

"Shhh, stay quiet Rikku. You've been through a lot. I'm here to make the pain stop," he said, beginning to run through his technique. He gestured to the doctor and the man gave him a syringe. He carefully injected the painkillers into her arm. 

It was a simple technique. Deliver her from pain, then make someone else hurt her, setting up an angel-and-devil link in her mind, with Seymour as her bright and shining savour from the evil doctor. Soon she would be his. 

A chime sounded, and the doctor picked up the phone. 

"Yes? …yes, he's here. Of course." He handed Seymour the phone. "It's for you," he said. 

Seymour took it. "Yes?" he said, voice not betraying his anger at the interruption. 

_"They're approaching the gate now my Lord. Do you wish us to kill them?"_ an anonymous guard asked. 

Seymour thought. "No. Let them through. I will be there shortly." He handed the phone back to the doctor, who hung up. "Keep her here. I will return shortly. Administer the toxins," he said, and simply walked out. 

The doctor watched as the door closed, then picked up a syringe and turned to Rikku, who was watching him with concern in her eyes. The doctor smiled. "We're going to have some fun," he told her softly. Then he frowned and corrected himself. 

"Well, _I'll_ have fun. You'll mostly be screaming." 

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Auron followed Yuna from behind. Soon after being thrown into the viaduct he had found her wandering the corridor, the Aeon's Shiva and Bahamut watching her in turn. They apparently made great guards, because the only fiends he came across had been alternately frozen or blasted apart. He chuckled silently to himself when he recalled Issaru's Aeons being crushed under Yuna's. It hadn't been particularly difficult, just tedious. He had watched from the sidelines as she sent her Aeons out one after another. 

A jolt jerked him awake from his reverie, and he looked to see that Yuna had hit him gently on the chest. He looked up to see a small dot of light ahead of them. The exit. 

Tidus, Wakka and Lulu waved to them as they approached. "Hey! You made it ya!" the orange-haired blitzer exclaimed. Yuna hugged them both, then turned to Lulu. 

"Where were you?" she asked. 

Lulu shrugged. "I thought this was where you'd be," she said simply, and left it at that. 

Together the group pulled open the doors leading to the Highbridge, and prepared to make their escape to Macalania. 

Auron squinted with his one good eye, and noticed several figures moving toward them. 

"Seymour," he said, knowing whom the interloper would be. 

Sure enough Seymour walked towards them, Kinoc and several guards in pursuit. He smiled at them all, and then clicked his fingers. The man immediately behind Kinoc let go of something, and the man fell to the floor, an arrow stuck in his back. Auron did not react. Kinoc had been his friend, but he was damned if he was going to show emotion in front of this man. 

A brief conversation was held between Yuna and Seymour that Auron did not really pa attention to. Then he heard a roar, and looked up as Khimari ran forwards and jammed his pear in the Maester's heart. Seymour did not seem to react. He just stared at the Ronso, and then he _changed_. 

Suddenly the guards on either side of the Maester started screaming and clawing at their chests. Yuna watched in horror as they literally exploded, the pyreflies flowing around Seymour, who was looking to the heavens. Suddenly a figure began to materialise behind the Maester, and Seymour faded form view, to be replaced by some kind of steel demon with the man's face. 

Auron sighed and unsheathed his blade, preparing to destroy the crazed Maester once and for all. 

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The doctor looked up from his tending of the girl's wounds. He didn't want to kill her, only cause her agonising pain. He heard some guards' race past his room and mentally shrugged. If someone were attacking, they would hold him or her off. He wasn't worried. 

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Auron swung his blade at the Seymour-creature, ignoring the snake-like thing that surrounded it and piercing its armour straight to the heart. The thing gave one last scream and collapsed to the floor, whatever had been levitating it gone. Auron snarled and ripped the sword from its body, swinging git to rest over his shoulder and turning away. Seymour began to dissolve to pyreflies, panting and arching it's back as it vanished into brightly coloured baubles. Just before his head vanished though, he said one last thing that even through all the noise Auron heard clearly. 

"YouR WomAn LiVes." 

Auron spun around instantly, but the Maester had already evaporated. He stood staring at the spot for a few seconds, not daring to believe what he had heard. Suddenly he turned back to Wakka. 

"Wakka, did you actually _see_ Rikku's body?" he asked. 

Wakka suddenly looked relieved, gladdened and furious at himself as he answered. "No." 

That was all Auron needed. He turned and began to head back into the temple. Tidus went to follow, but Lulu grabbed his shoulder as he passed. "This is for him to do," she whispered. Tidus looked confused for a few seconds, but then relented and sat down on the floor. The panic resulting from their escape would prevent any guards from making their presence felt for some time, so they were momentarily safe. He hoped the same would be safe back inside the temple. 

Auron ran through the temple, dodging running guards and fires, running to the one place he knew Rikku would be kept if she were alive, the one place that Seymour would have taken her. 

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The doctor wiped his the girl down, It had occurred to him that he had not bothered to discover the name of the person he was torturing/brainwashing, but that wasn't really important no, was it? 

The doctor heard something creak, and turned around to see something silver fly through the air toward him. In an automatic reaction he raised his hand to ward it off, but the blade sliced clean through it and carved through his skull. 

Auron let the blade fall to the group with the corpse of the doctor. Instantly he turned to look at the figure on the 'operating' table. 

It was Rikku. 

In that second Auron felt an almost overpowering sense of relief, and would have fallen to his knees if he hadn't been in Bevelle. Without thinking he unlatched the restraints holding her to the table and she fell forward into his arms. She flinched and frowned but Auron could tell she was unconscious. He lowered her to the ground and went over to the door to see if the way was clear. Before he got even two steps he felt something grab hold of his arm. He turned back to see Rikku's hand gripping his lower arm in a death grip. He looked at her eyes and the sight almost made him wan to cry in both rage at Yevon for doing this to her and relief that she was all right. 

"Don't leave me here," she whispered to him, eyes wide and pleading for him to stay. 

Bending down, Auron gathered Rikku up in his arms and shouldered the door open, running back through the enclosed citadel of Yevon back to the others. 

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Yuna looked around when she heard footsteps to see… 

_"Rikku!"_ Tidus shouted in relief. 

Yuna turned to see Auron running towards them, Rikku cradled in his arms. She ran towards him and looked at her, moving her hair away from her face. She drew back then she touched her and Auron had to whisper to her softly to let Yuna touch her. Yuna closed her eyes and chanted silently to herself. Instantly a soft blue glow enveloped the girl as Yuna used her strongest healing magic. The blood stopped flowing and some of the more minor cuts sealed themselves. More serious injuries would have to be taken care of later. She looked at Auron and he nodded.

He looked around and gestured at the others, face now composed again. Together, they ran out of the Holy Capital, towards the Crystal Forest, and safety.

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

Ahhh. And all is good again. Well, sorta. Let the Aurikku begin in earnest!


	17. Love Blossoms

Tentatively titled (hey that rhymes!) the bit after Bevelle.

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 17: Love Blossoms **

Auron lay against the tree in the clearing, Rikku's head resting against his chest and his arm around her shoulders. After Yuna had healed the girl's wounds she had fallen to sleep almost straight away.

Auron stared at her, not saying a word. If anything happened that would separate them again, he wanted her image printed on his mind now, forever. She frowned slightly in her dreams and wriggled around trying to get more comfortable. Auron smiled a little as the girl settled back down and she relaxed, perfectly at peace with the world. He heard a small cough and saw Lulu looking at them both, a small grin on her face.

"She will be fine," the Black Mage said.

Auron nodded, but did not move. He looked around the clearing where they were camped out. "Where are Tidus and Yuna?" he asked.

Lulu shrugged. "Yuna went to the sphere-pool, Tidus followed soon after," she said.

Auron chuckled slightly. Those two were so obvious. Then again, so was he. He felt a movement against his chest and looked down to see Rikku open her eyes and yawn. She suddenly stopped, stared straight ahead, and then instantly bolted upright, eyes searching. Auron held her tighter and whispered in her ear. "Shhh. It's OK, you're safe now," he said.

Rikku looked up at him. "You came for me, I knew you would," she said wonderingly. Lulu saw the need for privacy and left. Rikku continued to stare at Auron. "What happened?" she asked. She shifted slightly and rubbed her chest, wincing when she felt fresh bruises.

"You were taken by Seymour," Auron said, seeing no reason to hide the truth.

"What did they do?" Rikku asked.

"Better you don't know," Auron said. Rikku seemed to accept his explanation and closed her eyes, leaning back against him.

"E muja oui," she said sleepily.

"I love you too," Auron replied. Rikku smiled at him, then levered herself up so that their faces were level. Slowly, she brought her lips to his, and for a few minutes Auron's impassive façade dropped, as the two shared one long moment of togetherness.

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Lulu and Wakka watched the two. Well, they were trying _not_ to watch, and failing miserably. Wakka looked apprehensive for some reason. Lulu sighed to herself.

"OK, spit it out," she told the taller man.

"It's just, he's old enough to be her _father," he said, not taking his eyes off the pair._

Lulu made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "You know what happened to get him ejected from the temple. He deserves some comfort."

"Yeah, but…"

"Wakka," Lulu said warningly.

He gave up. "OK OK, but I don't have to like it!" he said before he walked away.

Lulu watched him leave, then turned back to watch the pair for a second or two before moving off to another part of the campsite, and give them some privacy.

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Auron withdrew from the kiss reluctantly, and looked back at Rikku. She stared back straight into his one good eye for a second, and then lay back down against his chest.

"I didn't know what to do," she said softly.

Auron wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "I was always here," he replied. "I just didn't know it at the time."

Rikku grinned at that. "All because I stole your glasses!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

Auron just _had_ to smile at that. "Imagine the result if you hadn't," he said.

Rikku stood up and grinned at him. "I better make sure then." Her hand swept by him, and suddenly Rikku was standing a metre away from him, holding his glasses in her hand. Auron looked surprised for a second, then rallied admirably, getting up and attempting to grab them back. Rikku dodged under his arms and came back up near his face.

"Stealing your glasses seems to work," she said impishly.

"Maybe," Auron replied. Suddenly he swung around, and he snatched the glasses from her hand and placed them back on his face. This time it was Rikku's turn to look surprised.

"Meanie!" was the reply. The rest of her sentence was cut short however, as Auron took advantage of her state of shock and kissed her again. Rikku did not even _attempt_ to resist. She put her arms around him and they just stood there in each others arms, quite happy to let the world flow on by them, as long as they could stay together.

This time it was Rikku who drew back, due to the fact that she was trying to keep her eyes open, and also failing. She yawned. "M'Ok," she said, fatigue slowing her senses, and then her legs buckled. Auron quickly put his hand behind her and swept her upwards into her arms. She smiled her thanks and closed her eyes, head against his chest. Auron moved over to the group's single tent. He lay her down on the sleeping bag and she was asleep before she touched the ground. He watched her as she slept, and swept some stray strands of blonde hair from her face. This time she did not respond, exhausted as she was from the doctor's sadistic torture and her rescue. Auron stepped out and pulled the tent flap back into place. He stood to see Yuna and Tidus walking towards him. The two were walking side-by-side and talking. More importantly, they were holding hands. Auron chuckled slightly as they approached. They noticed him looking and instantly let go of each other.

Tidus looked embarrassed. "Hey Auron," he said. Auron nodded.

"Sir Auron," Yuna said, blushing a deep crimson. Auron smiled at the two from under his high collar. It wasn't as if he was their parents or anything, although maybe that was how Tidus saw him… He nodded to them both, then leaned back against the tree he had spent much of the night against, the tent Rikku rested in front of him. He saw something in his peripheral vision and turned to see Yuna looking at him.

"How is she?" Yuna asked. She was slightly worried. Her white magic could cure wounds and destroy infections, but internal injuries and broken bones they couldn't do anything about, and they were something they could not detect with what they had.

"She is fine Yuna, get some rest," Auron said. Judging by her brief performance earlier, Rikku was fine. She was better than fine. She was amazing.

Yuna nodded and left in the same direction as Tidus, leaning against the boy as he slept against the tree. Auron smiled. They looked like the perfect couple, and it had taken them this long to realise it. He looked across and saw Khimari watching them all. The Ronso glanced at him slightly and nodded his head in private greeting. Auron nodded back, then sleep overtook him and he shut his eyes.

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Lulu watched the sleepy panorama from a soft patch of grass near the clearing's edge and smiled. She had been wondering how long it would take for Yuna and Tidus to realise they matched up, and had been holding a private bet with herself. Auron and Rikku now, that had been more unexpected. The two could not have been more different in their attitudes, but something had happened there, and they seemed happy together. She sighed.

Even through all the pain and hardship, everyone seemed to have found something that made life in Spira worth fighting for.

Turning from the scene, she lay her head against her moogle doll she had propped up against a nearby rock as a pillow, pulled her makeshift blanket over her, and tried to get some sleep before facing the Calm Lands in the morning.

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Rikku awoke in bed, and opened her eyes to see light streaming into the room. Cursing softly, she was about to pull the sheets back up over her and go back to sleep when she heard a familiar voice outside, and remembered where she was. Not in a nice cosy bed at Home, but stuck in a tent in freezing Macalania. Tysh. Slowly she levered herself up and wandered outside to greet the morning. Tysh the morning.

Lulu looked over as Rikku left the tent. "You're up bright and early," she said. Rikku glared at her with a look of such hostility that she wondered what she had said. It hadn't been _that sarcastic a comment had it?_

Rikku saw the look of surprise on the older woman's face and waved her hand in Lulu's general direction. "Sorry. I hate mornings," she said as way of an apology and explanation. She still couldn't think clearly though. She cursed again, drawing a slightly shocked glance from Lulu, but smiled and shrugged. She went over to the nearest tree and lay back against it, closing her eyes against the harsh glare of the sun being amplified through all the clear crystal. She just stood there silently for a few minutes, ignoring the world, until she heard someone approach. She opened her eyes and smiled. "Hey Auron," she said quietly.

"Hey. Are you feeling OK?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine. Tyshat Yevon torturers," she said with venom in her voice.

Auron started. He had never heard her talk that before. Ever. He shrugged it off. "We move in a few minutes, be ready to go," he said. He turned to go.

"Auron, wait!" Rikku said suddenly. Auron turned back to see Rikku's gaze on him. "Did you mean that, last night?" she asked.

Auron just looked at her for a few seconds, then realised she wasn't talking about what he had said, but what he had done. He nodded. "All of it," he said.

Rikku grinned, then ran up to him and hugged him. Auron looked pleasantly surprised for a few seconds, then hugged back.

Rikku stood in tiptoe. "Don't leave me," she whispered into his ear.

"I won't if you won't," Auron said, then smiled to show it was a joke.

They heard a whistle, and turned to see Yuna smiling at them and waving cheerfully. The others stood by, Tidus also looking rather put out about being waken so early, Wakka and Lulu just staring at them, a look of amusement on her face. Auron sighed and walked over to them. He felt Rikku's arm thread through his own and turned to see he hanging off his arm. He shook her off, but she only re-attached herself like some kind of blonde-haired limpet. "I'm not going to walk for you," he said.

Rikku stuck her tongue out at him, and then ran ahead to join the others, her brief annoyed spell forgotten. Auron shook his head. She could go from serious to carefree in a second, and not see anything wrong with it. He moved off to join the others, and together they moved off down the path, away from Bevelle, and towards the Calm Lands, and their destination: Zanarkand.

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Tidus and Lulu hung back slightly as the others walked off, Tidus looking at Yuna, Lulu looking at Auron and Rikku.

"So what's your opinion?"

Surprisingly, the question came from Tidus.

Lulu smiled slightly. "Whatever makes them happy," she said simply.

Also to her surprise, Tidus nodded. "Yeah," he said simply, then turned and caught up to Yuna, who saw his approach and smiled at him as he ran up to her.

Lulu resisted the urge to laugh. She knew how they felt. Just because she put out the personality aura on an ice queen didn't mean she was totally unfeeling. She watched the two couples and remembered how she and Chappu had been much the same, not caring how the world felt. She said a short prayer. Not to Yevon (not anymore) but to whatever benevolent deity might be watching the group.

_Let them have their time together in happiness while they can._

There would not be much opportunity for it later.

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

I've been taking lessons in much from Rin, and am still trying to make it work. 0_o Tell me how I did.

Tysh = damn

Tyshat = Damnit


	18. Calm? Yeah Right

Gah. More writing. Not that I'm complaining… ^_-

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 18: Calm? Yeah Right… **

Rikku stared out at the vast plains that made up the Calm Lands. 

_What a dump,_ she thought. 

And they had to cross it. The others walked slightly ahead of her, Tidus not leaving Yuna's side for more than a few seconds. The group just stood there, staring out at the huge green fields, not speaking. Suddenly Yuna fell backwards. Khimari jumped toward her to catch her as she fell, but Lulu stopped him before he got more than a few paces towards her. Yuna lay on the floor, just staring up at the sky. Tidus knelt down next to her and put his arms over his knees. Rikku saw that they weren't going to be going anywhere soon and sat down on the driest piece of grass she could find. Auron took the hint and sat down next to Rikku, crossing his legs and staring out at the plains, occasionally glancing across at Yuna. Rikku leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. She always felt more peaceful around him for some reason. She had been feeling really irritable lately, and it was confusing. That just made her more irritable. She angled her head up to look at Auron. 

"Was it like this when you came here?" she asked. 

Auron looked down at her as if just realising she was there. He sighed and looked back at the plain before speaking. 

"No. It was different then. People had camped out here when they heard that Braska was almost finished." He pointed. "You see those ridges up there?" he asked. Rikku looked across at them lazily and nodded. "There was people camped out all across them, wanting to be there when Sin was banished again." He sighed again. "I remember when we actually passed through. A little girl came up to us and asked Braska whether he would 'make the bad thing go away now'. He looked down and just nodded. The look on the girl's face as she ran off was so happy, she didn't know it would come back…" 

"You remember all that?" Rikku exclaimed, eyes closed and head still against Auron. She felt him sigh. 

"All of it," he said quietly. 

"Is it any easier this time?" Rikku asked. 

"By miles," Auron said, and wrapped his other arm around Rikku. She shuffled along the grass and moved closer to Auron. A quick glance around showed that no-one was especially willing to move. Lulu in particular seemed in no great hurry to get going, which puzzled Rikku. Usually she was the one who advocated speed, along with Auron. She close to ignore her thoughts, and just sat there on the floor next to Auron, neither of them speaking.  
A voice jerked her out of her silent reverie, and she looked up to see… 

"Beautiful isn't it?"

_And again with the broken record! _Rikku thought angrily as Maechen approached from the rampway to the group. Yuna stood up to greet the scholar. Rikku reluctantly rose up from under Auron's embrace and took a few steps towards the man.

"This, Lady, is where the first high summoner's fought…"

It was predictable to the extreme. Rikku showed as much irritation as she dared, wishing the little green old guy would just go away and let them continue. He seemed oblivious to her thoughts though and talked for what seemed like hours about the History of the Calm Lands. She looked around at the others. Wakka and Lulu were listening politely, Yuna as well. Tidus actually looked like he was listening to the speech. No surprise, he wasn't from Spira, he wouldn't know. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to face Auron.

"Annoying isn't it?" he said wryly.

"You too?" she asked gratefully.

Auron nodded. "Braska and I got the speech when we passed through here. No matter how fast we travelled he always managed to arrive ahead of us. Jecht was always asking him how he did it, but he wouldn't say."

Rikku giggled slightly. From what she had been told and had seen about Jecht, he would have used anything to make the trip easier. And it was good to know someone else was as bored as she was. She watched as Maechen finished his impromptu lecture and began to hobble off, in the direction of Bevelle. She wondered what chance he would stand against the fiends there, then thought that he would probably be fine, if only so he could annoy them in the future.

The group turned to look at the Cal Lands in its entirety. Rikku stood there looking out over the vast and tranquil plain thinking: _How hard can it be?_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rikku ducked under the fiends blow and sliced its stomach open, dodging away to stop it's entrails spilling all over her. 

_Tranquil. Yeah right._

Rikku had lost count of the amount of fiends they had dispatched over the last hour. Whatever had been done to turn this place so flat and empty, it had drawn fiends by the thousands. Rikku only had to look around to see the things crawling, flying, and walking along the ground. Most were far enough away that they were ignored, but some. Rikku wiped the blood from her glove off on the grass and secured it back to her though, not keeping the holster too tightly bound, in case, not, make that _when_, she needed it again. 

She looked back to up see the others moving off, all desperate to reach the sanctuary of the small trading post, at least for a while. She saw Auron standing there, between her and the others, waiting for her. She smiled and ran to catch up with him. They moved off when she caught up, walking to reach the others. 

"What was it like watching Sin die?" Rikku suddenly asked. 

Auron did not look around. "Didn't Maechen explain that?" he asked, no emotion in his voice, and Rikku feared she had hit a nerve. 

"I'd prefer a more personal explanation," she said. After Auron was silent for a few seconds; "Don't make me steal your glasses again," she warned him. 

He smiled. "It was amazing and horrible. I watched Braska used the Final Summoning,and Sin was utterly destroyed by the Final Aeon, but I also had to watch as the Final Aeon turned on him and consumed him." Auron did not say any more, and Rikku had to poke him. 

"Do you want to tell me?" she asked softly. 

"It was hard," Auron continued as way of an answer. "We didn't speak much after we had obtained the thing; we just went to the Calm Lands. By the time we got there it was swarming with people. A Ronso must have informed someone of our return and the word had spread that a new Calm would begin. Everyone cheered when Sin was banished, but no-one paid any attention when Braska fell, they were to relieved." The last sentence had almost been spat out, and Rikku knew what had been going through his mind when he had watched his best friend die. "They stood and they watched and they thanked their precious God that the monster was gone and they didn't even spare breath for the summoner that had saved him, they just _assumed_ that there always would be one handy when Sin came back, and it never even _occurred_ to them to find another way," he said, voice becoming more and more acidic as he talked. He stared ahead, remembering the looks of joy on the faces of the people as the light had flashed over them all and their worst fear had vanished. No-one except him had cared. They put their statues to him up and proclaimed him High Summoner, but he was dead, and everyone just accepted it as The Only Way. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked down at Rikku, who stared back. 

"Some of us believe there is another way," she said softly. 

Auron looked at Rikku, and was reminded of a girl Braska had known when they were both children. She had also been against the Pilgrimages, and had objected to Braska becoming a Summoner. When Braska had been adamant about going, she had left, giving as an explanation only 'I do not want to watch you die for life.' Braska had later met his future wife. Auron had once tried to locate the girl, and had discovered the Maesters had executed her for heresy several years later. He had quickly forgotten about the entire thing when Braska had announced his marriage to an Al Bhed. Rikku brought the episode flooding back, and Auron knew that the forgotten woman had been right. 

"I know," he whispered. He linked hands with her. Well, he would have, if at that moment a fiend had not jumped them. 

"Auron!" Rikku screamed, as the beast knocked the man down with a single blow to his unguarded side. Auron's good eye went wide as the wind was knocked out of him and he fell to the ground. The yell alerted the other. Tidus looked around in puzzlement, then instantly drew his sword when he saw the huge thing rear over Rikku. She took one step back, and was unlucky enough to trip against a bump in the field. She fell on her back and stared up at the thing. She instantly recognised it. It was a Chimera. 

She looked up, at any instant expecting the final blow. She looked across at the others, but they were too far away to be of any help this time. Rikku slowly reached down to her holster and glove. Before her hand had moved too inches the Chimera's growl intensified. She slowly removed her hand, and it returned to normal, just staring at her. Finally she became sick of the things. Home, here, Macalania, everything just came to a head. 

_"What do you want from me!?"_ Rikku screamed at the creature.The creature drew back slightly, then resumed it's impassive stance. Rikku stared at it for a few seconds, then looked into its eyes. As she did so, she saw something that chilled her to her core. 

The Chimera's eyes were blue and black swirls. 

Her breath caught in her mouth, and she didn't move an inch, she just stared into those so-familiar eyes and was silent. 

Tidus ran back to Rikku bit stopped when he saw the strange sight clearly. Why wasn't it tearing her to shreds? He and the others just stared at the two figures, one small and blonde, the other massive and inhuman. Yuna walked over to Auron slowly and got him to sit up, whispering softly. A small blue encased Auron's side, and soon he could stand up. Suddenly Wakka spoke up. 

_"What the hell!?" _

They watched, speechless, as Rikku lifted her hand to the Chimera, as if to shake it's hand. This in itself was weird enough, but then they all were silent as the Chimera slowly extended it's own arm, and helped Rikku to her feet. She brushed herself off calmly, as if a huge monster was not standing in front of her, and looked at it. She said something the others could not hear, and the Chimera turned, slowly moved away from the group and out into the open fields of the Calm Lands.

Wakka and Lulu just stood there, staring alternately at Rikku and the Chimera as it lumbered off into the distance. Finally Yuna plucked up the courage and the vocal commands to speak up.

"Rikku? What happened?" she asked.

Rikku turned to look at Yuna, and the summoner noticed the far-away look in her eyes.

"I asked it to help me up," Rikku said, then walked towards Auron as if in a daze. The team watched as she reached the man and looked up at him. Without warning, she suddenly collapsed into him and started weeping uncontrollably. Tidus took a step towards the pair but Lulu held him back. The blitzer turned to complain, but Lulu shook her head slowly, and he stood back.

Yuna watched as the two just stood there, Rikku crying into Auron's jacket. Auron whispered something into her ear and she stood away from him, wiping her eyes and sniffling softly. Eventually, she turned back to the team.

"Can we keep going?" she asked.

Yuna nodded, and the group continued on to the trading post, occasionally taking quick glances at Rikku, who did not smile for the remainder of the trip.

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Auron and Rikku walked side by side, behind the others, Rikku held her head down, staring at the ground and saying nothing. Auron did not ask her what had happened between her and the Chimera. He had no idea. Fiends speaking was strange enough, even for a man who had travelled through time to Zanarkand and back, but one actually _helping someone up_ was just impossible. Fiends were not friendly citizens. Rikku took in a breath, and she answered the question he would never have asked.

"It said it had not known I was one of them when it knocked me down, and would I let it help me up to say sorry," she said.

Auron just stared at her. Fiends _thought?_ Throughout all of Spiran history fiends had been seen as the unfortunate dead, unthinking and jealous of their living cousins. Rikku, in ten minute, had blown that theory to hell and back.

"What else?" Auron asked, and then cursed himself for his bluntness.

Rikku did not seem to notice. "I asked it what it was," she said.

"What did it say?" Auron asked softly, seeing the distress Rikku was in.

"I aM lIKe YOu, I HAvE nO HoPE."

Auron shivered slightly. It wasn't the reply that made him do it, but something else. Rikku had replied…

But she had replied in the exact same voice as the Chimera.

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

I love being able to write my own plots. ^_^


	19. A Light To Light The Way

Breaks might be taken from this to work on my big collaboration, but fear not, the updates will continue. 

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 19: A Light To Light The Way**

Rikku stared at the entrance to the cave nervously. She hated caves, and this one was sure to be full of nasty, smelly, evil fiends. And there was also the fact that those same fiends seemed to be actually quite friendly now. It freaked her out. 

Auron glanced across at Rikku. He walked across to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped away from him as if he was made of acid. She saw it was him and the look of relief on her face was touching. 

"Auron! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she scolded him. 

"I apologise. Are you alright?" 

She looked back at the cave entrance. "What's in there anyway?" she asked. 

"An old Fayth, that was stolen from its temple and left here," he said. "Legend has it that the Fayth itself became bored of life in the temple and one day simply got up and left." Rikku giggled. "What?" he asked. 

"You sound like Maechen," she said. 

Auron chuckled slightly. "Then kill me now." 

Across from them, Yuna stood back up. "We're going to get it," she said, and then looked across at Lulu. "If that's alright with you?" she asked. 

The Black Mage nodded. "I got over her death a long time ago," she said. 

Tidus looked across at Wakka. "What?" he asked, puzzled. 

"Her first summoner died here," he replied, looking at the woman, who was just staring at the cave. 

Suddenly Lulu walked into the cave. Yuna looked up, hen quickly ran in after her. The other soon followed, not wanting to be left behind. Auron gestured to Rikku, and she ran in last, following him. 

The first thing she thought when she walked in was; _where are the lights?_ The whole place seemed to be illuminated with some sort of lighting system which made the place seem as bright as day. 

Lulu caught her looking around and whispered to her. "The crystals reflect light from outside into all the corners of the cave." 

Now that her eyesight was adjusting to the occasional glare, Rikku could e that dotted along the walls were large lumps of crystal that seemed to glow. She whistled in awe and kept walking, aware that Auron was just in front of her. 

They came into a large cavern that literally glowed with radiance from the crystals, and Rikku had to squint to see in front of her. That was why she didn't see the creature until she was right on top of it. 

She stumbled against something and fell forwards. She heard a quiet _thump_ behind her as something else also fell down. She rubbed her head where she had hit her it on the ground and turned around to see the rock she had tripped over. 

At first glance, it looked slightly like a rock. Then it turned around, and Rikku was that it was a fiend. Only it couldn't have been, it was far too cute. It was small and green, wearing what appeared to be a small potato sack. It was holding a lantern in the other and a small knife in the other, like a butcher's knife, only smaller. She leaped back up and away from it, anticipating a possible attack. Instead it also rubbed the back of its head, then looked at Rikku. She saw it had small all-yellow eyes. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then the small creature shook it's fist at her. 

Rikku blinked in surprise. Then she decided _what the hell_… 

"Sorry about that," she told the small green fiend. 

In answer, it shrugged and brushed the dirt from its small robe. 

"You OK?" she asked. The thing nodded its head, and then began to waddle off. Rikku waved, and it waved back before disappearing into the shadows. Rikku watched it go, and then turned around to meet the gazes of the others. 

"I'm not even going to ask," Wakka said, then turned and kept walking. Lulu also turned and followed, but not before giving Rikku a look that said; _you and me are going to talk, _real_ soon._

Yuna walked up to Rikku and stared at her. 'Rikku…?' she began. 

"I think we should continue" Auron said, putting his hand on Rikku's shoulder. Yuna looked from Auron to Rikku, then back again. _Are you sure?_

Rikku nodded. _Later. I promise._

Yuna also nodded, then smiled weakly and walked on Tidus falling into step next to her. 

Auron looked at Rikku. "They suspect," he said simply. "You're going to have to tell them. And your father." 

Rikku instantly swung her head around to look at him. "I don't want to. Why can't I just stay like I am?" she pleaded. 

Auron shook his head. "Haven't you noticed? Talking fiends, speaking back to them. Rikku, something is happening to you." 

Rikku and Auron began to walk while they talked to avoid falling too far behind. "Rikku, you cannot pretend this is happening," Auron told her quietly. 

"But I want to. I'm scared Auron," she replied. 

Lulu glanced behind her at the pair, watching them talk and straining to try and hear. No luck. She felt a tap on her arm and turned to see Yuna smiling at her. 

"Didn't anyone ever tell you eavesdropping is rude?" she said. 

Lulu frowned. "I know, but I'd give my place in the Farplane to know how she does that trick," she said. 

Yuna giggled. Seeing Lulu when she wanted to know something was more fun than hiding secrets. She always wanted to know them. To be honest though, she wanted to know just as much. 

Auron linked hands with Rikku. "I'm here. You don't have to be afraid." 

Rikku gripped back, and Auron winced when his hand was nearly crushed. She wasn't _that_ strong, was she? 

The group continued walking until they reached another cavern. This time Rikku shielded her eyes. She looked at the ground to avoid hitting any more small green fiends, so instead of tripping she walked straight into Khimari. She looked up at the Ronso, but he was looking at something in front of him, and he had his halberd drawn. She drew her own weapon and squinted around at the scenery, trying to see. She gave up after about a minute, and reached into her pouch. She carefully drew a small packet of explosives she had been carrying in a padded container and mixed them into a small grenade. 

"Guys! Heads up!" she shouted, and hurled the grenade into the centre of the room. Three seconds later it went off, and Rikku coughed as dust was thrown from the floor and went into her lungs. It also had the effect of covering some of the crystals, and the room went into a perpetual twilight. Rikku relaxed her eyes and stared around. 

"Thank you Rikku. Now we're nice and dusty, and I never did like my eyebrows anyway," Wakka said angrily. The others all looked around to where a very put-upon and very eyebrow-less Wakka was standing glaring at the Al Bhed. They all burst out laughing. "Very funny guys! Next time why don't you… _whoa!"_

The other immediately stopped laughing as a ghostly figure appeared right behind Wakka and put a hand on his shoulder. He shivered and jumped forward away from its grasp. He rolled and came up facing the pale figure. "A fiend?" he asked. 

"No, an Unsent," came the reply from Khimari. 

Rikku shivered at the word. Unsent. Dead. Not alive. She backed off a few steps and stood so Auron was between her and the spectre. Auron noticed and did not move. 

"Are you OK?" he asked. 

"I'll be fine when that thing leaves," Rikku said, and then stopped when she realised she had called an Unsent a _thing. _

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"That was the stupidest Aeon I ever fought," Tidus said. 

"It's the only Aeon you ever fought," Lulu replied. 

"Yeah, but why bother getting his dog to bite our ankles when he had that huge sword?" he asked. 

"Maybe he gets tired easily? That hat must weigh a ton," Wakka pitched in. 

"She," Tidus corrected. 

"What? What makes you say that?" Wakka enquired. 

"She was wearing platforms!" Tidus argued. 

"High shoes do not a woman make." Rikku said sagely. The others looked around at her. "What!? I bet plenty of woman wear normal shoes as well!" she said, pointing at her own boots. "Right Lulu?" 

"Don't ask, no-one's ever seen if Lulu even _wears_ shoes," Wakka mock whispered. In answer a rock whizzed by his head. "Sorry Lu!" he shouted. Lulu glared at him and went back to staring at the others. Tidus looked sceptical, but stayed quiet. 

Suddenly the glyph on the floor glowed, and Yuna appeared. She looked very put-upon. 

"Hey Yuna, what took so long?" Wakka asked, then stopped when she saw the look on her face. 

"He wanted paying," Yuna said, finding a moderately clean rock and sitting on it. 

"How much?" Tidus asked, taking a gulp of water. Foolish boy. 

"Two hundred thousand," she said crossly. 

Tidus sprayed out the water he had just swallowed and coughed. "Whoa!" Even _he_ hadn't got paid that much when he had joined the Abes. 

"How much money do we have left?" Auron asked. 

"About sixty thousand," Yuna replied. 

"It is enough," Auron said, and stood up. The others groaned slightly, but followed his lead and started to head out. The thought of sunlight and air after this damn cavern was enough to get them out without convincing anyway. 

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"What do you mean _lost?_" Lulu said testily. 

Tidus looked at her and spread his arms. "We came in this way!" he said. 

Lulu advanced upon him. "Well if we _had _we would have been _out_ by now," she said. Tidus backed away until he was against the wall. 

"Erm, sorry?" he said. The others groaned. 

Rikku lay back against the opposite wall and watched as the others contemplated torturing the boy. Auron followed suit and the two watched the show. 

"He was always terrible at directions, trouble was, _he_ didn't know that," Auron said quietly. 

"And you let him lead us in?" Rikku asked. 

Auron shrugged. "A momentary lapse of sanity." 

Rikku sighed and closed her eyes against the wall. Personally she didn't have much of a problem with darkness. It was just being alone in it that got to her. 

She heard a small noise and opened her eyes. She frowned when she heard it again, like a loose sandal flopping around on the sand… She looked around for the source of the noise, and she a small flame. She frowned, then recognised it for what it was. She tapped Auron on the shoulder and pointed down at it. He stared for a few seconds, and then drew his sword. 

_Hold on…_ Without thinking, she walked past the man and approached the small green creature she had met earlier. It saw her approach and turned to face her. She bent down near it. 

"Do you know how to get out of here?" she asked it. 

The others all instantly stopped shouting at Tidus and looked across at her, wondering whom she was addressing. When they saw it was the Tonberry, reactions varied. Tidus just looked relieved he wasn't going to be hung there and then. 

The creature nodded. "Can you show us?" Rikku asked. It nodded again, and began to walk down the corridor. Rikku turned back to the others. "Well, come on!" she shouted, and walked after it. 

Wakka looked at Lulu. "And we should do so… why?" he asked. Auron suddenly got up from his place against the wall and started after her. 

He glanced back at the others. "I assume you want to get out of here?" he said, and walked off after Rikku. 

As if on cue, the others all sighed, shrugged, and ran after the two. 

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Rikku stared up at the sun and breathed a deep breath of dust free air. She turned back to the small creature and waved. "Thanks!" she said. The fiend waved and walked back into the cave, passing the others as they ran out. They stopped and stared at her, but she refused to turn around to meet their gaze. Her mind was racing. _Make something up, anything up. Say anything but the truth. _

"Rikku…?' Wakka begun. 

"I can talk to fiends, alright?" she said quickly. _Niiice going girl, that was real smooth._ She thought to herself. 

To her surprise, the others took this entirely in their stride. 

"Is that it?" Tidus asked. 

Rikku turned around to look at them. "What did you think it was?" she asked, curious now she seemed to be out of trouble. 

He shrugged "I dunno, something sinister I suppose." 

Lulu seemed more serious though. "Why didn't you just say that before?" she asked. 

"I was afraid of what you would think," Rikku said, which was true enough anyway. 

"Well, I think it's pretty cool," Tidus chirped. "Saved us some trouble a few times." 

Auron suddenly spoke up. "We should be going," he said. 

The others all nodded. Rikku was silently relieved. Her improvisation was about used up, and she hated lying to them like that. 

Auron fell into step next to her as she walked. "Very good, slightly obscure though, I wouldn't bring attention to it again," he said. 

Rikku hit him on the arm. "Very funny. It was the best I could do on short notice," she said. Auron smiled slightly in acceptance. 

"You should still tell them. It will only be harder the longer you delay," he said. 

"OK _OK! _I'll think about it!" she said. 

As they walked Rikku became aware that it was becoming colder. She shivered slightly and looked up at the cave (?) they were approaching. Then she looked _above_ it. 

"Erm, Auron?" she asked. 

"Yes?" he replied. 

"You wouldn't happen to have a spare coat would you?" she asked, as she stared at the snowstorm raging on Mount Gagazet. 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

One day I might do a fic about Tonberries if there are any types that haven't already been done. I love those guys. So small, yet so evil. 


	20. Because It's There

Pierson is sad. Pierson is sad because he wants to play Chrono Cross. Pierson is even sadder now because Square never released Chrono Cross in the UK. Please help him.

If _anyone_ has a copy of Chrono Cross that works, and they don't want it anymore, _please_ get in contact with me. It doesn't matter what country you live in as long as you're prepared to ship to England. I will pay for it. I need that game.

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 20: Because It's There…**

"Tell me again why I joined with you guys?" Rikku asked Tidus. 

"Because you wanted to protect Yuna?" the blitzer replied. 

"And why did you let me?" 

"Because we like your perky sense of humour and your, ehem, unique abilities?" 

"And why am I _still_ with you guys?" 

"Because you got the hots for Aur… _OW!_ You kicked me!" Tidus exclaimed, rubbing his foot. 

Rikku didn't waste any more breath, and instead concentrated on moving up the path away from the other Ronsos. The meeting had been long and boring (if you weren't Khimari, otherwise it had been long and painful) and had entailed her standing around in the cold for an hour listening to Yuna argue theology with the Ronso Maester. She ran up the path, not so much to catch up with the others as to stay warm. She _knew_ she should have gotten a coat in the trading post! But now the opportunity was lost and she had to run up and down the snowbound paths to stay warm. She shivered and ran up to Auron. He heard her coming and turned in time to have her run up to him and hug him tightly. 

"What's wrong?" he asked. 

"S'cold," she said through gritted teeth. 

Auron put his arm around her and hugged her to his chest. She sighed in thanks and stayed there. She shifted her body around so that she was under his left arm, but still wrapped in his coat, and the two moved off together through the snow. 

"S'it this cold last time?" Rikku asked quietly through clenched teeth. 

"Mostly. It rained that time though," Auron said. "It was cold, but it was also damp. We had the misfortune to come during summer, and…" 

"Wait, hold on," Rikku said, "It only rains here in _summer?_ What happens during winter, which is what it is now?" she asked. 

"It's just damn cold." 

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Several hours later, and with no sign of the summit in sight, Auron noticed that the others were becoming very sluggish, and Rikku was seriously lagging behind, to the point where she occasionally had to lean against him for warmth. Her attire was doing her no favours. Auron noticed a dip in the path, leading to what he thought he remembered as a small cavern. A small _sheltered_ cavern, and he immediately started to move ahead of the rest, leaving Rikku behind slightly. He motioned for the others to follow and they all angled towards the dip, wondering what he had seen. When they moved under the protection of the cavern then, they were all relieved. Lulu went over to a moderately dry patch of floor and raised her hand, casting a large fireball onto the bracken on the floor. It sprang to life, and the others all moved towards it. Rikku came in last, several seconds behind the others, and she went over to the fire with only a small "hi" to the others and sat down next to it, trying to get as much warmth as possible from the small blaze. Auron sat down next to her and she leaned into him, resting her head against his forearm. She as asleep in seconds, and Auron smiled at the peaceful look on his face from under his collar. His look did not go unnoticed by the others and they all secretly smiled at the couple the two made. Somehow, it worked, and Tidus was glad to see that the old guy had _some_ feelings left in him. They all sat there, in the small warmth the fire provided, and sank into their own silent reveries, as the blizzard raged outside. 

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Rikku awoke in relative warmth, wrapped up in part of Auron's coat, the rest of it wrapped around Auron himself. She stood up groggily and looked around. The others were all standing and preparing their equipment. Rikku realised that they were getting ready to head out, and went over to Lulu. "How long were we asleep?" she asked. 

Lulu looked up from packing her small set of potions and ethers. "About five hours, we all needed it," she said. She jerked her thumb, and Rikku looked across at see Tidus laid against the wall, Yuna's head against his chest, both still sleeping. 

Rikku went back over to Auron and shook him awake. She had never seen the legendary guardian wake up, and it was an amusing process. 

"Wht? Whzzat?" he whispered. Then his eyes snapped open, and he was instantly alert. "Rikku?" he asked, voice betraying none of his momentarily sleepiness. 

"We're going," she said, gesturing towards the others. Auron looked across and swept his cloak back around himself, ready in seconds, and once again waiting for everyone else, as he always seemed to be. Rikku realised that he was always ready first, bit because he was more alert or up earlier, but because e had nothing to _get_ ready. She giggled at this silent observation and drew looks from the others. 

Auron glanced at her. "What?" he asked. 

Rikku smiled at him. "Oh nothing, just the great Sir Auron just became suddenly less mysterious," she said. 

"I'm sure you'll tell me what that means later," Auron said, and moved out of the cave. Rikku followed, and gasped when she walked out. The fire had given the illusion of warmth, but only because out here it was so tysh _cold!_ At least this time there was no wind. Thank the Farplane for small favours. 

The group trudged through the vast icy snow cone that was Gagazet, occasionally stopping when a small cave or overhang could shield them from the cold, which wasn't often. Mostly they eschewed them, and carried on, most wanting to just get the hell off this mountain. Everyone was thinking the same thing, how could the Ronso _live _in a place like this? It defied all common sense. Even Khimari was shivering, the farther up they went, and the thinner the wind got. 

Rikku was doing the worst. Al Bhed were not adapted for high altitudes like most of Spirans, and her clothes were not helping. BY the end of what seemed like the twentieth mile, but was actually the third, she was wheezing and had to be helped along sometimes by Auron, By the end of the next, Auron was seriously worried for her safety, and was staying permanently at her side as she walked along. It was a relief then, when they finally reached the near top of the mountain, and their destination came into view. 

Rikku stared up at the summit of Mt Gagazet, one hand over her eyes to shield her from the sun's glare, and another to steady herself against what she thought was the wall, but was in fact Auron. She was too far-gone to realise. 

"And we have to climb _around_ that monstrosity of snow and rock?" she asked Auron incredulously. 

"The heated tunnels straight through the centre are blocked off in winter," Auron replied deadpan. 

Rikku looked across at him, momentarily forgetting her near-frostbitten condition. "Did you just make a joke?" she asked in disbelief. Auron said nothing. Rikku grinned. "You _did!_ Wait till I tell the others!" She would have bounded ahead, but Auron put his hand around her and held her back. 

"Let… me… _go!"_ she said, trying to wriggle under his grasp. 

"As you wish," he said, and released her. 

Rikku squealed as she fell headfirst into the snow. She blew it out of her mouth and stared at him, not believing that he had just done that. She got up and brushed rapidly melting snow off herself. She bent down and carefully scooped up a handful of the stuff "I'll get you for that!" She started to draw her hand back, then frowned in concentration. Auron realised his mistake instantly. Near-frostbitten already, he had let her fall into a freezing snowdrift. 

_Idiot!_ He scolded himself. 

"Auron?" she said sleepily. 

"Yes?" he said, seeing the dreamlike look on her face. He started to move forward almost unconsciously. 

"Help…" 

Then she toppled, and Auron ran forward, reaching out to catch her as she fell into his arms, shivering uncontrollably. Auron grabbed her around the waist and hugged her to him. He couldn't feel any heat coming off of her and her lips were turning blue, eyes following suit. He drew her back slightly and looked into her eyes and saw that they were staring into space, not really looking at anything. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Lulu pushing him aside. He yielded reluctantly and moved her away from his body. Rikku convulsed slightly, and he resisted the urge to hold her closer to him. Lulu held up her hand and a small fireball sprung from it and hovered just above Rikku's head. Instantly some of the blue colour left her features and her frost-coated eyelids fluttered open. She coughed lightly, and Auron did the only thing he knew would help. He kissed her. 

He ignored the cold sensation of her lips on his and pressed her mouth against his, breathing in warm life giving air into her lungs. He felt around for a response, any response. He felt a hand at the back of his head, and disengaged to find a very shell-shocked looking Rikku staring at him. He breathed a silent sigh of relief. Before he could say anything though, her hand pressed him back against her, and they kissed again, but this time both were active participants. Auron vaguely knew he should be pressing on, but at this moment, he honestly couldn't find the time to care. 

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Rikku and Auron moved up the mountainside together, neither moving away from the other. The rest moved either ahead or behind, but none strayed more than a few metres from the others. After Rikku's apparent close call they were _staying _together. The group moved around the next bend, and then suddenly Tidus shouted something gleefully and ran ahead. Wakka sighed in exasperation, then _he_ moved around, and his face also looked relieved. A moment later they knew why. 

Auron and Rikku walked over to the two blitzers to find themselves at Gagazet's summit, staring down at the mountain. Two final peaks made a natural canopy and the ground was only partly snowbound. It was, quite literally, all downhill from here. The pair moved to the edge to stare down at what they had walked across and Rikku gasped. 

"No _way_ did we do that," she exclaimed in disbelief, and so she should. 

Below them lay the most torturous and twisting sets of pathways she had ever seen. They winded in and out of each other, none staying straight for more than a few dozen metres. Wind howled down through them, and they could hear it's passage through the clefts and loops in the mountain as it flew through the sacred land. Rikku looked back to see the others staring out as well, equally spellbound. It _did_ look beautiful. She would have enjoyed it more if she hadn't just had to climb it though. She looked across at Yuna, who seemed to in some sort of trance. Rikku's mood instantly deflated when she remembered why they were here, and where they were going. 

The others began to move off silently, all too tired to speak. Eventually Rikku was left alone, with Tidus. 

"Hey?" she shouted to him. 

The blitzer looked back. "Yeah?" he replied. 

"Any ideas yet?" she asked hopefully. 

The boy shook his head. "None." 

"It's just we're nearly at Zanarkand, and I can't think of anything!" she said grimly. 

Tidus looked down, but wasn't beaten yet. "We'll figure something out in Zanarkand. Everything will come together there. I know it," he said confidently. 

Rikku looked at him critically. "Hey, just then, you sounded like a leader!" she said, amused at the blitzer's mood. 

Tidus struck a pose. "Star of the Zanarkand Abes, didn't anybody tell you?" he said, grinning. 

Rikku gave a short bow as the blitzer passed, showing mock deference to his 'talents'. The man she saw when she stood back up was _not_ who she had expected. 

Seymour stood before her. He had his arms by his sides and was smiling evilly at her. He was dressed in his normal blue robe, and he looked like he should be ridiculously cold. He didn't seem to be though. 

"Tidus!" Rikku shouted. 

He turned. "Yeah? What's wro… _whoa!_" he exclaimed when he saw the Maester. He turned to Rikku. "Get the others, _go!_" he whispered at her. Rikku turned to run, but had not gotten 10 steps when she hit something solid. She stumbled backwards and stared as something faded back into transparency. 

"Would you mind leaving us for a moment, boy?" Seymour asked. Tidus stared at him for a few seconds, then at Rikku. She nodded, not taking her eyes from Seymour. Tidus took off, slowing as he approached the place where Rikku had been halted. He reached his hand out and took another step forward. As he did so, _something_ flowed around him, and he came out of the other side of the barrier unharmed. He took one quick last look at Rikku and Seymour, and then ran to fetch the others as quick as he could. He dreaded having to tell Auron he had left Rikku alone with a killer. He ran faster. 

Rikku stared at Seymour, hatred in her eyes. "What is it you want this time?" she asked dangerous, glove on her hand and ready to be driven into the Maester's windpipe. 

Seymour smiled at her tolerantly. "I had great hopes for you," he said sadly. 

"Happy to disappoint you!" she shouted back. 

He started to pace up and down the cliff-edge. "We could have done so much together, you and I. We could have conquered death, and controlled it. I would have ended the suffering of Spira, and you could have been there to watch. Instead you chose _them_, and to follow your useless concept of _hope._" He nearly spat the last word out, as if it was something contagious. Rikku kept a good distance away from him as he ranted. "We could have saved the world together Rikku." 

"I would never have helped you," she said. 

"That will be your final mistake," Seymour said quietly. "Do your _friends_ now about your unusual condition yet?" he asked, smiling. 

For a second Rikku might have stopped breathing. She was so still. "If you dare…" she began. 

"Do not worry, your secret is safe with me, but how do you think they will react when they find out?" he asked rhetorically. 

"Seymour!" she warned him. 

He carried on regardless. "Poor little Unsent girl, she doesn't belong anywhere. Can we trust her? Maybe she'll turn into a _fiend!_" 

This time, Rikku did stop breathing. "What did you say?" 

Seymour smiled wickedly. "Oh? You didn't know? Been feeling ratty lately? Strange things happen?" he asked. 

Rikku shook her head. "_What are you taking about?_" she shouted at him. 

"Being unsent is only one step away from being a monster. You feel it in your heart. Allow me to _demonstrate!_" 

Then Seymour stepped off the cliff. Rikku stood there, not daring to see him hit the ground. She didn't have to. A second later a rumble sounded through the cliff, and a sharp point rose up from the edge. It rose further, and Rikku saw that it was just the tip of a huge lance, and the creature holding it was… Well, it was Seymour, but only barely recognisable, his hate turning him into something huge and intricate, like a massive sculpture, but with swords. She stared at the massive thing as it looked down at her, and it hissed at her. 

"SeE YoUR FaTe." 

"_NO!"_ Rikku screamed at the thing, and turned to run. She hadn't gotten a step when she hit something. She looked up expecting it to be the invisible wall, but it was Auron, staring at Seymour's form and holding Rikku across the shoulders. The others ran ahead. 

"Are you alright?" he asked her, concern in his voice and relief that she was all right. 

"I'm fine," she said, staring back as the group set upon the Maester for the third time. "He said things," she whispered. 

"I'm here now," he said reassuringly, hugging her closer to him. Rikku accepted the comfort he was offering, and the two sat back, watching the battle. Yuna called her Aeons, only to see them be destroyed one by one. Finally she called the one she had not yet used, because after all, ice wasn't much good on a mountain, was it? 

Yuna stood back from the rest of the group as three huge icicles slammed into the ground behind her. They shattered, the fragments missing the team by a mile, somehow. A woman stood in the centre, throwing her cloak aside into Yuna's arms. She stood up to the Maester and raised her arms. Then she paused. 

Rikku frowned as the aeon Shiva did not attack, and instead looked around her surroundings, as if searching for something. Her gaze fell over the others, who were all wondering what was going on. Then her eyes fell on Rikku, and the young girl shivered. She hated that Aeon. Back to the incident at Macalania Temple, she had always got the feeling that the Aeon, when summoned, had been staring at her. She hated that thing. 

It didn't last long anyway. Shiva made just _one_ attack before being blasted back into the ether by Seymour. Rikku hated to see them go like that, but was secretly relieved that the frosty Aeon was gone. 

Auron stood up. "I have to help," he said. Rikku nodded and he moved towards the battleground, swinging under Seymour's lance and scoring a blow against the strange symbiotic creature that was wrapped around him. The thing screamed and suddenly thin beams of light emerged from it and flew towards Seymour. The man/fiend suddenly looked drained, and Auron sliced at Seymour's head. The man didn't see it coming, and the blade scored a deep cut against his head. Seymour screamed, and exploded. Pyreflies emerged from his body and flew off into the air as the monstrous hulk sank below their view. 

Tidus stared at Auron, panting. "And you couldn't have done that earlier? Would have saved us just a little bit of trouble you know, with the fighting and the aeons and everything." 

Auron did not reply, but moved back towards where Rikku was sitting against the rock wall of the mountain. "Can you walk?" he asked her. She nodded and stood to her feet, stumbling into Auron. He steadied her then let go, letting her make her way down the mountain by her own steam. 

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"What the ramm are those?" Rikku asked, jumping back from the figures glued to the wall. 

"They are fayth," Auron said for the benefit of everyone except Yuna. 

The walls of the mountain were covered in bodies. They were stuck there, faces turned in to stare at rock, a blue glow flowing over them. 

"Who is using them all?" Lulu whispered. 

"Whoever it is, they're summoning something big," Yuan whispered. For some reason everyone found himself or herself unable to speak normally, like the same effect a church has on people, trying to whistle. Your mind can't bring the mouth to do it. 

"Freaky," Tidus said. 

Auron glanced at Rikku. "What's the matter?" he asked, seeing the pale look on her face. 

"I hate fayth. I always think they're going to reach out and grab me. They look so… _alive…_" she said. 

"You're seen fayth before?" Auron asked, surprised. 

"Once, I snuck into Besaid, while we were on a scavenging trip. Cid would have killed me if he had known." 

"What did you see?" Auron asked, curious. 

" It was large, had wings, and it was stuck to the floor. I ran. I was never so freaked out in my life," she said. Auron chuckled and she hit him on the shoulder. "It _wasn't _funny!" she said angrily. 

"Yes it was. Fayth can't move, even if they wanted to. They are eternally trapped in the Chambers. They can't get out." 

Rikku stared at the people on the walls, and shivered, and it wasn't because of the cold. "How sad," she whispered. She shivered again, and watched as Tidus reached out to touch one. The boy just stood there for a few seconds. Then, without a sound, he fell backwards. 

The others looked across when they heard the thump of him hitting the floor, and Yuna ran over to his side, feeling for a pulse. She visibly relaxed when she found one, and tried to shake him awake. 

"It won't work," Auron said. 

The others looked around at him. "Why not?" Yuna asked, worry in her voice. 

"The fayth are talking to him," he said simply. Yuna looked puzzled for a moment, then realisation dawned on his face, and she settled back into a more comfortable position, and waited for Tidus to wake up of his own accord. 

They waited for a while. Their occasional attempts to snap him out of it failed, and so it came as a complete surprise when he just woke up of his own will, jumping up and stretching his arms. Enquires were shrugged off, and he just kept walking. Yuna glanced at Rikku, who shrugged and continued to walk. The others all followed suit, and they moved into the last part of the mountain. At least this place was sheltered. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time they approached the small, intricately decorated red diamond-shaped pad near the end of the cave system, she was ruing her last observation. Never had she had to walk through a more confusing maze of puzzles and tests. The damn place kept shifting around them. 

"Tired?" Auron asked. 

"D'ya think?" she replied sarcastically. 

"We're almost out, get ready," Auron said. 

Rikku looked across at him. "What do you mean 'get ready'?" she asked. 

Auron shrugged. "Do you hear that?" he asked. 

Rikku stopped dead and listened as hard as she could. She turned back to Auron. "Huge thing up ahead?" she asked. Auron nodded. "Cred." 

"Guys! Come on, we're almost out!" Tidus shouted. He would have run on further, but suddenly a blue blur fell out of the wall and knocked him to his feet. Yuna gasped as the thing reared up behind of him and he scrambled to his feet, nursing a cut across the back of his head. Damn Grendels. The others drew their weaponry and prepared for a fight with the thing. 

Wakka looked across at Rikku, as if expecting something. 

"What?" Rikku asked him. 

"Can you, erm, tell it to go away?" he asked, blushing. 

Rikku just stared at him, then she sighed. "Alright _alright!_ I suppose I could try." 

The others watched in hope and disbelief as she walked ahead of them, weapon sheathed, and stood before the horned beast. As before, it did not attack, but just stared at her as if expecting something. 

"Leave us alone!" she shouted at it. 

It didn't budge. 

Rikku sighed. _Toughie._ She had an idea. If coercion couldn't work, maybe bribery would? She reached into her pocket and withdrew a single gil. "See the shiny little circle? You want it?" she asked. 

To her surprise, the attention of the fiend was rooted on it. She smiled. "I'll give it to you if you leave us alone," she stated. 

Wakka looked across at Lulu. "Is she doing what I think she's doing?" he asked her. Lulu just _shushed_ him and kept watching. 

Rikku saw the fiend was not going to be convinced by a single gil. She reached into her pocket and withdrew more gil, moving her palm so that they were reflected in the light. "If I give you these _several dozen_ shiny circles will you leave us alone?" she asked it tiredly. 

In answer, the fiend stood aside. Rikku sighed in thanks to providence and dropped the gil on the floor, moving away from the fiend and towards the cavern door. The others soon caught up. 

"Rikku, you have _got_ to teach me that ya?" Wakka said enthusiastically. 

"Me next!" Tidus shouted form near Yuna. She punched him playfully on the arm. 

Rikku turned back to look at the others. "Lessons are fifty gil a time!" she shouted at them, smiling. 

"Hey! Surely we get a discount for being your pals?" Tidus argued. 

"That _is _a discount, usually I charge…" She didn't get a chance to finish a sentence. 

At that moment, they emerged from the cave, and something huge, grey, and winged roared at them. Rikku covered her ears and ducked down slightly. The others instantly drew their weapons and backed away from it, Rikku not far behind. 

Auron looked at her as she drew her claw and went down into a fighting position, ears still ringing as the massive creature opened its wings and roared again. "You're not going to try and buy it off?" he asked. 

Rikku glared at him evilly, preparing her store of grenades for action. "I don't think he's for sale," she said, as it attacked. 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

This was originally two chapters, but I combined them just for the hell of it. 


	21. You're What?

Revelations for the team! 

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 21: You're _What?_**

Rikku dodged out of the way as the huge monster fell, neatly sidestepping it's tail as it crashed to the ground, eyes bloodied and shattered by the battle. She coughed and sat down on the floor, legs barely holding up from the curse that had been placed on most of them.

Yuna walked around the group, using all the medication and spells she dared to stop the group from collapsing around her. She sat at the battle out mostly, Aeons useless against the things hexes. She was trying to make up for it though. She was exhausting herself just running around the clearing where they sat.

Finally she approached Rikku and looked apologetic. Rikku stared at her for a few seconds, then figured it out.

"Sorry Rikku," Yuna said, out of holy water.

Rikku shrugged dismissively. "S'OK. Just as long as everyone is alright," she said breathlessly. Damn. Now she would have to live with this damn bad mood for the rest of the trip. Just great. Well, she was suffering from worse, every day. She gave a deep sigh and let her head droop; entirely happy to go to sleep there and then, Unfortunately Auron had other ideas.

Rikku felt a hand on her shoulder and she nearly screamed. Anticipating what the man was going to say she just stood up and got ready to move out.

"We rest on the borders of Zanarkand," Auron said, proving Rikku right.

"You have gotta be kiddin us ya!" Wakka exclaimed. "We just beat down that monster and now you want us to _keep going?_"

"Yes," Auron replied, and began to move along the mountainside. Rikku sighed in exasperation at the man and ran to catch up, adrenaline making up for what strength in her legs her lacked. When they got to Zanarkand she was going to collapse though. She saw him standing on a ledge overlooking something, and she ran to catch up with him. She opened her mouth to speak, but it just plain dropped open when she saw what he was looking at. Arranged below them was the Ancient Machine City Zanarkand.

Buildings lay broken and in ruins below her, roads and streets long since given over to decay and the elements. What beauty remained was in the higher buildings, ten-story towers with sharp peaks, seemingly the only things t survive destruction, and then still with scars. It was a damning sight, and depressing as the Farplane.

"It's so desolate," Lulu whispered behind her. Auron stayed quiet, just staring at the grim scene. Rikku lopped her hand into his, and he gripped back as if falling from a high building.

"Always the same," he whispered.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Nothing moves here anymore. This is Yunalesca's prison, and she will not allow change." There was a lesson in that, but its significance missed both of the figures standing over it.

Rikku heard a small gasp, and turned to see Yuna and Tidus standing together, hands also linked, staring out at the same scene, one looking at his broken and ruined home, the other staring at the place of her death. Rikku felt herself becoming angry. She was angry at Sin for causing all this, angry with Yevon for encouraging it, but most of all, angry at the world for believing it. She turned to Yuna. "You're not doing this," she said, voice calm, but seething on the inside.

Yuna turned to look at her. "What?" she said, not sure what she had heard.

"You can't throw your life away for _this,_" Rikku said, indicating Zanarkand in particular and the entire Yevon theocracy in general.

Yuna blinked. Rikku's voice had an edge to it she had never heard before. Maybe it was just the effects of the curse. She really should have brought more holy water. "Rikku I have to," she said softly.

Rikku walked towards her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "No you don't!" she said, holding back tears. "There has to be another way!" She turned on Auron. "Why did you bring him here if there wasn't?" she asked, gesturing at Tidus. The boy swung around to look at them, suddenly drawn into something that hadn't seemed to involve him a second ago.

Auron turned to look at Rikku. "I brought him back here as a promise, nothing more," he said shortly, unwilling to say more, lest his real feelings escape. He had been through exactly the same speech with Braska and Jecht here, minus the bit about Tidus, obviously.

"I don't believe you people!" Rikku said, backing away. "You let one of your best friends die just because 'It Is Written'?"

"Rikku, calm down," Lulu said.

Rikku rounded on her. "No! I don't want to calm down! I want a second option!" she said.

"There isn't one," Yuna said, firmly but gently, and Rikku knew her argument was lost. She backed away from the others and went down the hill, walking towards the outskirts of the city. Yuna began to walk after her, but Auron put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Give her space," he said softly. "Let me talk to her."

Yuna just looked at Auron, then at where Rikku was disappearing into the distance, then at Auron again. She looked indecisive until Tidus wrapped his arm around her waist and nodded. She stopped pulling against them and sighed.

"It's best." Tidus said, as Auron walked down the mountain after the young Al Bhed. The others began walking also, but at a distance.

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Rikku walked down the mountain path in large strides, trying to get as far away from the others as possible. She knew Auron would follow her, but she had no wish to talk to him right now.

She stubbed her toe as she walked down, but hardly felt it, engrossed in her own angry thoughts. Everything was going wrong. Unsent, dead, unable to prevent her friend from committing state-encouraged _suicide_, and now she was… but that thought was to horrible to think about.

She reached the bottom and sat down on a rise in the hill, chin rested on her hands, silently weeping.

_How did things turn out this way? _

"I wish I had never me Yuna."

"Don't think that," Auron's voice said from in front of her.

Rikku looked up at him. "If I hadn't been in that craft, none of this would have happened," she said simply.

"Yuna would still die," Auron argued.

"But I wouldn't have been around to care!" Rikku said angrily. She felt Auron sit down next to her and she leaned in to him, accepting his comfort as he wrapped his arm around her.

"We would have missed you," Auron said.

"No you wouldn't, 'cuz you would never have met me in the first place," Rikku said through closed eyes.

"_I _would have missed you," Auron whispered.

"No, because…"

"Can a man not make any romantic and dramatic speeches anymore?" Auron butted in testily.

Rikku got up and stared at him. "Did you just make a joke?" she asked.

"Maybe," he said grudgingly.

"That's two! I'll make a human of you yet!" Rikku said cheekily. She wiped the tears from her eyes, with the help of Auron's jacket.

"Hey!" he said.

She quickly jumped up and ran from him before he could grab her. She stuck her tongue out at him, "Missed!" she said. Auron made to stand up and chase her, but looked over her shoulder and instantly flipped his internal switch from 'human' to 'cold emotionless legendary guardian'. Rikku sighed and turned around, seeing the others walk towards them. Wakka looked angry.

"We camp here for the night," Auron said, before anyone else could. Tidus looked relieved, and just sat down on the nearest clean stretch of ground. Yuna did likewise, as did Lulu, but Wakka seemed to have something to say. Auron noticed it to.

"Spit it out," the older guardian said.

Wakka seemed glad to have a forum for his worries, and instantly rounded on Rikku.

"You've been talking about us not caring. Well, we care! Just because we don't say anything, you think we're willing to let Yuna die ya? Well you're wrong! We love Yuna, and there's nothing that we wouldn't do, but she chose to do this, and she knows the risk, and… hey, are you listening?" he asked.

During the tirade, Rikku had picked up Wakka's discarded Blitzball and had begun to try and spin it on her finger. "I'm listening," she said, eyes on Wakka.

He shivered. She was doing it _perfectly_, with one hand. Freaky. He shrugged it aside and went on. "We _tried_ to talk her out of it, but Yuna wouldn't listen, and if it's here choice we'll follow her to the ends of Spira and back if it's what she wants!" Wakka said. He then drew a deep breath.

Right, her turn. She threw the ball to Wakka, who raised his arms and caught it. "If you care so much why are you not trying to find another way? I haven't figured anything out yet, and neither has Tidus, but at least we're trying! Has Yevon brainwashed you so much that you can't even _consider_ another option?"

Wakka threw the ball back and Rikku stumbled back as she caught it. The man threw hard. "Maybe the reason you haven't thought of another reason is because _there isn't one!_ Maybe the Yevon way is the only way, and that's why people use it!" he said.

Rikku threw the ball back, the other watching the system. Whoever didn't have the ball seemed to be the one allowed to speak at that minute. It was like a public debate. "That doesn't mean you should stop trying! Sin just comes back, and if _anyone_ had bothered to investigate then I bet _someone_ would have found a way now!"

He threw the ball to her. "You got no proof! Yevon's way has worked for centuries! Why change what works?" he threw it back.

"How many high summoners are there? Four? In centuries, it only worked _four_ times? How many people died trying to fight for something that would have only killed them anyway and not worked in the long run? Summoners might as well shoot themselves in the head and save themselves the journey!" She threw the Blitzball. The others just looked on. No-one tried to interfere.

Wakka caught it. "What do know about sacrifice? You Al Bhed always go on about the wonders of machine, but you never cam up with an alternative to the Final Aeon! You talk about them dying, but what do you know about dying for a cause?"

She threw the ball, and her eye narrowed. The temperature in the clearing dropped several degrees. "More than you do," she said, and something in her voice made the others focus on her, and the scar down her body. Tidus remembered their first meeting, on a blood-soaked beach by the Moonflow.

Wakka threw it back. "Then tell us ya? What do you know about it, _Al Bhed,_ that makes you such an expert on death?"

She caught it, and this time only prepared to throw it. She didn't raise her voice, but spoke the next sentence calmly and without hurry.

"Because I'm dead." She threw the ball.

Wakka didn't catch it. For a second he looked like he hadn't believed what he heard. Instantly everyone's heads except for Auron's snapped up and stared at her in disbelief. The only noise in the clearing was the Blitzball as it fell to the floor and rolled away, making a metallic noise that was deafening in the silence that surrounded the blonde Al Bhed and the orange-haired Blitzer.

"What?" Wakka said.

"I'm already dead," Rikku repeated simply. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to find Yuna staring into her eyes.

"This is a joke right?" the summoner said.

Rikku shook her head slowly. "I'm an unsent."

Yuna jerked back as if physically struck. The had thought she was dead before, but this… and they never suspected… Though now it seemed obvious. Talking fiends, talking _to_ fiends, it was so obvious.

Lulu sat at the edge of the clearing, eyes closed, thinking. She looked up at the Al Bhed. "When?" she asked.

Rikku turned to her. "Does it matter?" she asked softly.

"It matters to _me!_" Wakka said, a look of panic on his face. Rikku knew what he was thinking, and she stopped it before it consumed him with guilt.

"In Bevelle, when I went missing. I woke up and I just knew…" she said. Wakka risibly relaxed. Rikku looked to her left, and saw that Tidus had done the same. She heard sobbing and turned to see Yuna crying. She went over to her. "Don't cry Yunie, it's OK," she said, trying to comfort her. "I'm OK, really."

"No you're not!" Yuna said through tears. "Why didn't you tell us?" she nearly screamed at her. Rikku hugged her, and felt tears fall onto her shoulder. "Why not…?"

"Because I was afraid," Rikku said, truthfully.

"You never had to be," Yuna said softly.

Rikku felt tears run from her eyes and wiped them away with the bottom of her t-shirt. She felt as if a burden had been lifted from her back. She looked across the clearing, seeing the looks on the others faces. "Guys…" she started, then her words caught in her throat, and she couldn't go on. Something gently pushed Yuna aside, and Rikku felt strong hands guide her to a nearby rock. She didn't complain as Auron sat down next to her, she just put her head in her lap and fell asleep within seconds.

The others looked at each other and Rikku, each thinking more or less the same thing: _What do we do now?_ Did they carry on as normal? No-one knew what do to. In their souls they knew that Rikku was still Rikku, but their minds told them something else branded into them by centuries of Yevon teachings. Except for Tidus.

"So what's the big deal?" he asked. The others looked around at him as if he was deaf.

"Did you even hear what she just said?" Wakka asked incredulously.

"Yep. So?" Tidus went on. Yuna stared up at him first in confusion, then love as she realised that he really _didn't_ care about the girl's condition.

"What do we do with her?" Wakka asked.

"Think about what you're going to say before you open your mouth next time," Auron said, cradling Rikku's head in his lap and staring at Wakka dangerously.

He got the hint instantly. "But what if she turns into a fiend? You do _remember_ the cavern don't you?"

"Yes, we _do_," Lulu said.

"Then what if she…"

"She _will not_," Auron hissed at him. Wakka closed his big mouth. That was the first time any of them had seen him really lose his temper. "I will make sure of it," Auron finished. "Now, I think we all need some sleep, we have a long day tomorrow, especially you Yuna," he said, and closed his eyes. Wakka's face said that the argument wasn't over yet, but he didn't try to push his luck. One by one, the group fell asleep, lying under the eternal shadow of Zanarkand.

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Rikku yawned and stretched her arms. _Funny, I had the weirdest dream…_

Her eyes slammed open and she stood up, looking around at the others.

"Morning Rikku," Tidus said, also yawning.

"Erm Tidus?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Did we have an almighty argument last night and I said something about me?" she asked.

"Yup!" he said cheerfully.

Rikku groaned and sank back into her pillow, which promptly stood up and shoved her off. "Hey!" she said as Auron stood, and nearly sent her falling to the floor.

"My apologises," he said, making no secret of the fact that he had meant to do it.

"Meanie!" she said. She sighed and shook her head clear. "Tell me I didn't tell everyone I was unsent last night?" she pleaded with him.

"You didn't tell everyone you were unsent last night," Auron replied.

"Did I?" she asked.

"Yes."

She growled at him and punched him on the shoulder. "Don't do that" For just a second there I thought… forget it. Lets go," she said.

The others were already waiting for the two. As the group walked to Zanarkand, and the end of their journey, Auron grabbed Rikku and waited until the others were out of earshot.

"Why didn't you tell Wakka and Tidus…"

"That it was their fault?" Rikku finished for him. She waved her hand in his direction. "Look at us, we're barely hanging on to what cheer we have left, I couldn't to that to them." She turned to look at Auron.

"They must never know. _Never._"

Auron hesitated, the nodded, and the two linked hands, walking towards Zanarkand, and the end of their journey.

**_____________________________________________________________________**

Ahhh, another chapter, another… erm… help me out here guys!


	22. I Won't

I did it! I downloaded Chrono Cross! Take _that_ Squaresoft! Haha! 

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 22: I Won't **

"You actually _grew up_ in this place?" Rikku said incredulously.

"There were a lot less fiends back then!" Tidus argued.

The group moved into the temple, towards the chamber of secrets. Rikku had gotten the chills from watching Braska's pilgrimage played out in front of them, and several times had felt Auron's hand turn to ice in hers when he had watched his old self beg Braska and Jecht to turn back.

Finally the team emerged from the ruins and faced the entrance to the Cloister of Trials. Rikku and Tidus breathed a sigh of relief as they wreckage of the old city thinned out and presented them with a passage down into the ruins.

"Old memories huh?" she asked Auron.

"Bad memories," the guardian replied.

"It will be fine this time," Rikku whispered. Auron just grunted and moved down into the ruined trial.

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"Good job none of us had epilepsy," Tidus said as they made their way into the centre of the platform.

"Speak for yourself, my eyes hurt," Wakka replied, rubbing them hard. He blinked. Damn colours.

They moved onto the platform tiredly. It had taken them _two hours_ to figure out the correct positions of the shapes, and another fifteen minutes to activate the glyphs. Damn Zanarkand! Why did they have to make everything so long and boring?

Rikku and Auron moved next to each other. The man seemed… subdued.

"Nervous?" Rikku asked quietly.

Auron turned to her and shook his head slightly. "I do not want to have to go through this again," he said, so quietly that she had to strain to hear him. She gripped his hand tighter.

"Yuna won't do it. We'll think of a way before she tries. I promise," she said.

Auron looked at her and smiled. "I know, you won't have to watch her _LOOK OUT!"_

Rikku's eyes widened as Auron suddenly grabbed her by the midriff and slammed her aside, the huge tentacle that had just come out of nowhere barely missing her.

The other had heard Auron's shout and were already dodging to the sides. The air shimmered, and they watched, mouths open, as six copies of the glyphs from the floor of the Cloister appeared in the air before them.

"_Whoa!"_

The others looked across to see Tidus disappearing into the floor. Wakka and Yuna gave a cry and jumped towards him, puling him out. Auron looked around and saw the platform they were standing on begin to fade, and he began to sink.

He looked across at the glyphs that had appeared, and frowned. _This didn't happen the last time…_ He heard a crash and looked across to see huge pieces of rock fall into place around the glyphs. He took a long step backwards, and then jumped towards the slab of roc that was closest to him. He turned back to face the others, who were rapidly disappearing into the floor. "Jump!" he shouted. They didn't need telling twice. The floor was becoming as resistant as water, and they didn't hesitate to leap the gap between Auron and the place they were standing. The entire team watched as the universe dissolved around them, to be replaced with a bright orange landscape, the six glyphs all began rotating around each other.

Rikku stared at the weird scenery as something huge and spiky hove into view, revealing it to be a fiend. With teeth. Lots of them.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Wakka shouted as the thing opened its mouth and screamed at them, revealing even more teeth.

"Guess not…" he said, and drew his Blitzball.

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_How much punishment can this damn thing TAKE?_ Rikku screamed inwardly. One hour and the damn thing was still standing. Then again, they had spent the first five minutes cowering on the far piece of rock and not daring to step onto the glyphs until Wakka had fallen off and grabbed one with his arm. Damn freaky universe… They had been even more surprised when Yuna had tried to run to Tidus to heal him and had simply disappeared, appearing again _right next to him_.

Auron took a swing at the thing, but it simply moved backwards, and his sword went wide, leaving him open to a counter-attack, which it did, raking its claws against his side.

"_Auron!"_ Rikku screamed, running to his side. She was beyond surprise when she merely warped right next to him. It made no sense whatsoever, but she wasn't complaining.

"I'm fine," Auron said through gritted teeth.

"You're not," Rikku said, running her hands over the slash and reaching into her pockets for a bandage. Gripping one end with her teeth she tore off a long strip and wrapped it around Auron's side, sealing it with sticky tape. She heard a scream, and looked up to see something white and sharp fly at her face. She felt something flash past her face and Auron's sword suddenly appeared in front of her, the beam flying into it and rebounding from the Reflect spell Lulu had cast on it. She turned to Auron. The entire thing had happened so fast… She turned to Auron, who stared back.

"Watch where you're watching," he said, and winked. Rikku gulped and turned back to the battle as Auron got up and staggered onto the nearest glyph., hoping Rikku would not notice.

"No you don't!" Rikku said.

Auron frowned as Rikku lopped her arm around his and steered him to the glyph farthest from the creature, and behind it. That done, Rikku turned back to the battle.

Tidus swung at the creature, hoping to catch it with even the edge, but it moved backwards. Wakka was waiting for it and threw his ball at the creature, scoring a direct hit on its spine. It bellowed in rage and rounded on him, swinging its tail around in a lethal arc. He jumped sideways and the magical warp mechanism that operated the glyphs teleported him to the next glyph. The creature didn't even stall, just carrying on its arc and slashing Wakka across the chest. He stumbled backwards and would have fallen off the thing if Lulu hadn't been behind him. He recovered his balance and ran to the glyph closest to the creature. It wheeled quickly, trying to keep him in its sights, and momentarily forgot that Tidus was also behind it. Wakka swung the ball at it, not letting go, and again it moved away. Tidus jumped at it, grabbing onto the things tail. It screamed in rage and tried to shake him off. Tidus hung on for dear life and climbed it's back. He used his sword as a pike, jamming it into the thing's hide for purchase. He reached its neck and ran the blade across it, slitting its throat. As soon as it's blood started to gush from it's ruined throat the glyphs began to fade below them. As one the team looked down as their feet began to fall through the floor. It came as a relief when the normal world flashed into existence around them, and Zanarkand soldiered under them.

Rikku turned to Auron. "That was weird," she said, rather dazed.

"You think?" Tidus said, picking himself up from where the fiend had fallen. He brushed himself off and walked over to Yuna, who was examining her ruined staff. "Told you that you should have stayed back," he said, with a smile on his face.

"Well excuse _me_ for trying to help!" Yuna said crossly. That had been her favourite staff…

"We'll get a new one back in… wherever we go after here," he finished lamely.

Yuna glared daggers at him and moved onto the platform without another word. The others prepared themselves for another bout of the universe going AWOL again, but were relieved when the platform simply sank down into the depths of Zanarkand.

Rikku sat down opposite Auron so that their backs were leaning against the others, each providing support.

"Was this how it happened the last time?" she asked him.

"There was less shouting, and also a lack of world-dissolving trips," Auron replied.

Rikku twisted around to face him. "What's with you all of a sudden?" she asked. "You've been like this ever since we got to Zanarkand, what up?"

Auron sighed. "This place, these memories, they don't sit well with me," he said.

"Was it hard?" she whispered.

Auron closed his eyes and remembered back to that day…

_There has to be another way! _

_Auron, old friend, this _is_ the only way. Would you allow Sin to survive? _

_It comes back, always! Jecht? _

_I dunno know Auron, if this is the only way we have, then we gotta use it… Braska? _

_Yes Jecht? _

_Use me._

Auron opened his eyes.

"Yes, it was hard," he said. He turned his head as a deep _brummm_ noise sounded from the hole in the floor, and Yuna came back up, eyes wild and panicked.

"Sir Auron, everyone!"

Immediately they all stood up and ran onto the platform, the stone circle carrying them down into the heart of the Yevon faith.

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Rikku almost sighed when Yuna made her proclamation, but didn't, for fear of being shouted at. _It's just a statue, it doesn't work, and the Final Aeon isn't here. _

_Yunie is gonna live._

Her hopes were short-lived.

"That fayth lost its power long ago," a voice said behind her. She whirled to see the old man from the outside of Zanarkand looking at them with sad and old eyes, staring at Yuna.

"Then the Final Aeon?" Yuna asked, the look in her eyes clearly saying; _let there be another fayth._ It was almost enough to make her cry.

"The Lady will explain all," the man, said, and walked back through the door – Rikku squinted. OK, the portal then – that he had came through. Yuna practically ran through after her, and the others had no choice but to follow.

She closed her eyes and felt a strange floaty sensation as she came through, opening them again to find herself in a huge chamber that would have been light and airy if it hadn't been clogged with cobwebs. She turned to look at the others, and found them all staring at something in front of them. She followed their gaze, and gasped. At the top of the stairs was one of the most beautiful women Rikku had ever seen.

Yunalesca stood surveying them, long white hair rippling in some unseen breeze, tendrils of clothing floating in some unheard rhythm, eyes staring past them at some unseen wonder. She looked like a queen of Aeons.

But the more she stared, the more she saw that the woman's beauty was merely cosmetic. She was pretty, but like an old and revered antique rather than as a person, and her eyes had their own special voice; _I am better than you because of who I am and what I do. Try me if you will, but you will fail._ The more she stared, the more she detested the woman.

Yunalesca took the stairs one at a time, gaze fixed on Yuna.

Yuna looked at her and said one word.

"How?"

Yunalesca smiled at her.

Then she began to explain.

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"No!" Tidus shouted.

"Tidus," Lulu warned.

He rounded on her. "I can't believe you're going to go through with this!" he shouted.

"It's the only way!" Lulu said. She turned to Yuna. "I volunteer," she said simply.

Yuna looked devastated, told that to save the world she would have to sacrifice one of the people she loved most. "I…" she whispered.

"Yuna, if this is the only way, then we gotta do it, choose me," Wakka said.

"I can…" Yuna said, not hearing.

"You can't be serious!" Tidus said. "Yuna?" he asked the summoner. "Are you?"

"I… can't…" Yuna finished.

Lulu and Wakka just looked like they hadn't heard right, although they had suspected as much. "Yuna, you have to." Lulu said softly.

Yuna turned to face her, determination in her eyes. "No! None of us are dying for something that only works in instalments!" she said.

Tidus let out a sigh of relief. Thank whoever was watching over him right now…

Rikku gave a silent shout of glee as Yuna turned to walk to the huge doors separating them from Yunalesca's chambers.

"I won't," she said, and they couldn't see the tears on her face as she walked to face the Yevon prophet.

Rikku smiled and ran after her, Auron not far behind. The sight of two of their friends running after their summoner was all they needed, and the other three pushed the doors aside, to reveal Yuna and her namesake, the old summoner facing away into oblivion.

_Wait a minute…_

Rikku looked down at the floor, and then at the walls – or lack of them – and finally the lack of ceiling. The world had changed again, and they were floating in space this time. At least it was better than disappearing floorboard.

"Whom have you chosen to be your fayth?" Yunalesca said simply.

"No-one," was the reply from Yuna.

Yunalesca turned to face the young woman, and for a second Rikku could have sworn she saw a look of thankfulness on her face before a look of pity replaced it. She made ready to draw her weapon.

Yunalesca tutted. "In that case…"

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The huge medusa-head that had been Yunalesca crashed to the floor, letting out one final scream as the eons-old summoner dissolved into pyreflies before them.

Yuna turned and walked out, not saying a word, too shell-shocked to speak. The others all followed, too tired and bruised to say anything. Rikku and Auron linked hands and walked out, weapons holstered and out of the way.

"Now what do we do?" Wakka whispered.

"We find another way, like we said we would!" Rikku and Tidus said in exact timing. They glanced at each other and smiled slightly before looking away and back towards Yuna. They were worried. They all knew what she was thinking; _what if there isn't another way? What if we've doomed Spira? _

"Wait," Auron said. He stopped in the middle of the floor, almost jerking Rikku backwards.

"What?" Wakka asked.

Auron just turned to Tidus. "I want to tell you something. Something _private_," he said. The others, even Rikku, shrugged and walked away, leaving the two to talk.

"There's another way, there has to be," Lulu whispered. The group stepped onto the elevator and rode it up back into Zanarkand, Auron and Tidus joining them a second later, neither saying a word, and Tidus looking even worse than he had.

They walked out as they had come in; silently. On the way in contemplating the death of a friend who still walked, the way out contemplating the death of a ritual anchored in so much time it wasn't even visibly until you right down into it. Into the dirt.

Rikku leant into Auron and sighed, holding back tears. She was glad the evil creature – not a woman, never that, not after what she had told them – was dead, but she understood that for many the world of rules and comfort they had lived in would be forever shattered, if they didn't find another way. A better way.

They had to.

She felt rather than heard the airship descend towards them, and Cid standing on the deck, arms crossed. She could only guess how angry he would be when he saw them together. He would get angrier, for many reasons.

"Auron?"

"Yes?" he replied to her question.

"We have to keep looking for a way," she said.

"…I know," he said slowly.

"Auron?"

"Yes?"

"E muja oui," She whispered.

"What?" Auron asked.

"I love you," she said again.

Auron hugged her to him tighter, and his peripheral vision saw Cid walk down the ramp of the airship towards them. He turned to face him, Rikku still held against him. Before Cid's fist flew towards his face, he whispered back.

"I love you too."

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

Damn, these chapters always end up longer than I thought they would. Oh well…


	23. Well?

Nearly there I feel…

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 23: Well?**

You have got some explaining to do miss!" Cid shouted at his daughter in Al Bhed.

They stood around the bridge, leaning against wall and surfaces. Except for Cid and Rikku, who stood in the centre of the centre, facing off against her father. The others couldn't hear what was being said, but they guessed.

Auron stood in the doorway rubbing his jaw. The man had a punch. The group had entered the airship in silence, Rikku seething at her father.

"You had no right to do that!" she shouted back.

"You're my _daughter!_ I have every right!" Cid replied.

"I love him!"

"You're only 16, do you even know what love is?" he asked incredulously.

Rikku tired a different angle of attack. "How old was mother when you married _her?_"she asked.

Cid spluttered for a few seconds, then recovered smoothly. "This is not about your mother! This is about you and _him!_" he shouted. _Smooth Cid, real smooth,_ he thought.

"Why won't you understand?" Rikku said desperately. "What does age matter? I thought you wanted me to be happy!"

Cid took a deep breath and calmed down. "I do, but you can't know what you're talking about."

"Why not?"

Cid did not have an answer to that.

Rikku also stopped. She looked at the others, asking them a silent question. As one they nodded and began to walk from the bridge. Cid looked around, wondering what was going on, and then seeing that everyone was frowning. He looked back at Rikku, who was staring at him.

Rikku didn't even look around. "Auron, please," she said. Auron grunted and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Cid looked at his only daughter. "What?" he asked.

"There's something else you need to know," she said, so quietly that Cid almost didn't hear.

Cid grabbed Rikku's shoulders and forced her head up, so their eyes met. "What?" he asked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The other stood outside the bridge. No-one spoke. They had managed to accept Rikku's state, but they doubted her father would be so forgetful.

Tidus looked at Yuna. He found his thoughts directed to his father. He had no idea how Jecht would have reacted to the news if _he_ had suddenly told him he was dead, and he honestly would rather not know. He doubted it would be in the way he hoped, if there _was_ a good way to accept the news.

Cid's reaction, based around what the team knew of his personality, was predictable.

The door to the bridge slammed open and Cid stormed out, eyes scanning the team. They fixed on Wakka and he started walking towards the blitzer.

Wakka noticed the look in the man's eyes. "Hey, is there anything…"

He never got farther. Cid punched Wakka in the side of the head and he went down hard. Khimari's eyes widened slightly – which wasn't saying much – and he walked over to Cid, pulling him off Wakka before he got off another punch.

Wakka scrambled out from under the old man. "What in the Farplane is wrong wit you man?" he said, rubbing the side of his face. There would be a _big_ bruise there tomorrow.

Cid just stared at him and tried to pull himself away from Khimari, back onto Wakka, but the Ronso's arms were too strong. "You killed my daughter! I'll kill _you!_" he said.

Wakka's eyes widened as everyone looked towards him. "What? No! It was Seymour!"

"_LIAR!_" Cid shouted. He finally got control of himself and stopped straining against the Ronso's arm.

At that second Rikku ran out of the room and grabbed her father. "Vydran!"

"What?" Cid said, though – the others saw – he spoke less angrily at Rikku.

"Leave Wakka alone!" She leant over and whispered into his ear. "It wasn't his fault. He didn't know."

"He damn well did! What the hell did he think was piloting the thing?" Cid shouted, glaring at Wakka.

Wakka just sat there, brain ticking away furiously. _Craft… Pilot… Wait a minute!_ He turned to Rikku. "I did it, didn't I?" he said softly.

Rikku cursed and turned to Wakka. Could no secret be kept longer than three days among this lot? "It was an accident. You had to rescue Yuna right?" she said.

Cid brushed her off and stood there, Khimari ready to jump back on him in a second. "Don't expect me to forgive you," he whispered.

Wakka just sat there, not getting up, staring alternately at Rikku and Cid. "I…"

Rikku cut him off. "Don't say you're sorry, you have nothing to be sorry for," she said.

Auron stared at the scene, and the three main protagonists, especially Rikku. It was amazing how serious she could be. He was reminded of Braska's dead wife. As graceful as a willow and with a heart to match, but cross her and you would soon regret it. He sighed and walked up to Cid. "Cid…"

Cid rounded on him. "Don't you tell me it's all OK because it's _not!_" he said. "My daughter is dead and…"

Rikku patience snapped. "_I'm not dead!_ I'm standing right _here!_ If you need to punch something use the wall and _not_ my friends!" she screamed.

Cid looked at her in shock. He had never seen her shout like that… Before he could say anything Rikku had stormed off. The others just watched as she stormed from the corridor, and no-one saw the tears that were falling from her eyes as she did.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rikku slammed the door behind her and fell onto the bed, weeping. _Damn _that man! Why did he have to be so tysh _stubborn?_

_He's right though. _

_I'm not dead! _

_Yes you are. It's true. You know it. They know it. He knows it. _

"I'm not…" Rikku whispered into the pillow.

"No, you're very much alive," a voice whispered.

Rikku felt a hand on her shoulder pull her up, and she fell into Auron's embrace. She cried into his shoulder. "Then why…"

"Because he is crushed. The only person he has left is dead. How would you feel if your family died?" he asked softly.

_Devastated…_ she thought. She had never known her mother that well, and had been unaffected. "I thought… never mind," she said.

"What?" Auron asked.

"I never thought it would be like this… We were all supposed to come home and live happily ever after…" she said dreamily.

"We still can," Auron said.

Rikku looked up. "You really think so?" she asked, and Auron knew what she needed to hear.

"I promise," he said, and kissed her. Rikku kissed back, and the pair closed their eyes as Auron's hands reached down to embrace her waist. Her legs curled around his on the bed, and for a few hours the two found peace in each other's arms.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cid paced the bridge, Brother staying _well_ out of his way.

_Rikku, dead? My little girl? _

He was burning himself out, walking back and forth on the same piece of deck, wearing out his nerves.

Brother split his attention between the window in front of him – which was full of clouds - and his father, watching the man pace back and forward, his feet making the same damned noise over and over. Finally he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Will you quite that damned pacing!" he shouted at Cid in Al Bhed.

Cid turned to him. "Just pilot the damned ship! Are we at Bevelle yet?" he asked.

"The amount of pacing you're doing you'll hole the deck, and we'll _never _get there!" Brother said back.

Cid took the hint and stopped. He went to the window and looked out, resting his elbow against the glass. "What am I supposed to do about this?" he asked.

Brother was surprised. His father had never shown less than a 'hard-man' image for most of his life, – excepting 'psychotic rage' of course – but even the toughest of men could be broken, and this had done it.

"There is nothing you _can _do, except let her live in peace," Brother said, The Voice Of Reason.

"And that's the damned problem isn't it?" Cid growled.

"Let them be," brother said, and tuned back to the controls. He had said his piece.

Cid looked out at the clouds and saw the unmistakeable shape of the Holy Capital below him. He sighed. Throughout all his years watched summoners die and guardians protect them he had always held the hope that Yuna Would Win. After watching for years, trying to change it and failing, he had to face a new thought. Yuna Would Die And So Would Rikku. He punched the glass.

_Part two is done you old fool. Now you're taking your niece to follow. _

_She will change it. Her and that boy… _

_Too late her Rikku though… _

"If she is happy," Cid said quietly.

Brother caught it, and glanced at his father. _Realisation is the hardest part._ At least if his father accepted it, it would make letting go of his daughter so much easier when the time came.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A quiet knock on the door was all it took to bring Rikku back to consciousness. She lowered the covers from over her head and stared as the door opened slowly. Before someone did something they would regret she said; "Come in."

The person on the other side sighed and opened it further. Wakka walked into the room and blushed. Rikku smiled. "Yes?" she asked.

"Erm, we're at Bevelle, Yuna is gonna go talk with Mika. You two wanna come?" he asked Rikku, and, indirectly, the other person under the covers.

"Sure!" she said cheerfully. Just… um… give me a few will ya?" she asked sheepishly.

Wakka nodded frantically and turned to go. Before the door had closed he turned back. "Rikku?"

Rikku turned back and pointed at him. "Don't you dare try and apologise for _anything_," she said.

Wakka looked hesitant, then nodded and walked out.

Rikku sighed and punched the covers above Auron, and he stirred. "We're at Bevelle, come on," she said, getting up and starting to put on her clothes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The others were noticeably silent as Rikku and Auron walked up to them on the Highbridge.

Tidus nodded as they approached. "Get a good night's sleep?" he asked, then realised what he had said and blushed.

Rikku laughed.

"Pretty fair," she said, holding Auron's hand, as Shelinda approached them.

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

…Which is the closest I will _ever_ get to a lemon. So tough cookies.


	24. Return To Bevelle

The conclusion approaches… 

**_____________________________________________________________________**

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 24: Return To Bevelle **

Rikku stared around the sweeping curves and majestic figures of Bevelle and shivered,

"I hate this place," she whispered. She moved closer to Auron and gripped his hand harder, resisting the urge to run back to the airship.

"It's OK, I'm here this time," Auron whispered back.

"You let them kill me I'll haunt you forever," Rikku joked. Then she stopped. Why was she making bad jokes about _that_ subject?

_"Freeze!"_

Rikku and Auron swung back to face the front instantly, hands near their weaponry, to see two guards pointing guns at them.

"Why, when we can beat huge monster with a flick of our wrist, do we _always_ freeze when guns are pointed at us? It's against all experience," Rikku muttered darkly as the guards walked slowly towards them, guns trying to aim at them all at once and failing miserably.

"Great…" Tidus whispered. Rikku reached behind her back and unhooked a grenade from her belt. She was about to throw it when another voice shouted, and they knew this one.

"Wait!" Shelinda shouted. Instantly the guards took their fingers from the triggers and lowered their guns. Shelinda walked past them and turned back. "You may go, lady Yuna is no traitor!" The guards made the prayer of Yevon and walked out. Shelinda turned back "I apologise for your greeting my lady, but with the temple in uproar there is only so much we can do at once." She bowed.

Yuna resisted the urge to laugh. "No apologies are necessary. What is going on?" she asked formally.

Shelinda looked exhausted. "The Maesters have all disappeared! Master Kelk has left for Gagazet, Maester Kinoc has vanished and Maester Seymour is nowhere to be found! Only Maester Mika is left, and he refuses to see anyone! They had to appoint _me_ Captain of the Guard because the old one has also vanished! No-one knows what is going on!"

"Calm down Shelinda," Yuna whispered.

Auron stepped forward. "We need to speak to Mika," he said.

Shelinda looked up. "He is not seeing anyone."

"He will see _us."_ Auron stated.

Shelinda turned back to Yuna, who nodded. "Very well. I will see what I can do. Beware, there are supposedly evil Al Bhed spies everywhere."

"…What?" Rikku asked.

"I will go and ask Maester Mika, please wait here."

"What did you say about evil Al Bhed?" Rikku asked to Shelinda's retreating back. She turned to Auron. "Evil?"

"Ignore them, they know no better," he whispered. Then he walked off.

"She told us to wait here y'know," Wakka said as Auron walked into Bevelle.

"Then let's wait inside, in the warm," Auron said, and pushed the door aside.

Tidus looked around and shrugged. "Sounds good to me," he said, and walked after Auron.

Lulu shook her head. _Boys…_ she thought, and followed.

Rikku stood at the edge of the dais and looked up at the huge tower/temple and shivered.

Yuna saw her hesitating and held out her hand. "We're here this time," she said. Rikku hesitated for another second, and then took the offered hand, walking through the huge doors, and into Bevelle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Maester Mika, Yuna is here to see you," Shelinda told the old man.

Mika stood up. "Does she have the final Aeon?" he asked quickly.

"She did not say sir, she only came to Bevelle just now."

_She must have it._ Mika stood. "Tell them I will be there shortly."

Shelinda bowed and walked off, leaving Mika alone with his thoughts.

Why did things turn out like this? We wanted stability because change is impossible in our society, so why waste time trying? The Final Aeon is the only way, so why bother looking for anything else. That works.

_Does it? _

_Of course it does. _

_Then what is Yuna doing? What if she and the others succeed? What if Sin _is_ killable? What will happen then? Our entire way of life is based around the truth – or we think truth – that there is no other way. _

_What if there is? _

Mika knew what would happen. Spira would look to them for answers, and they would have none to give, for centuries the world had worked the same way. Yevon protected the people, and the Al Bhed and Sin gave them something to unite again, so was Spira kept from war. But what happens when the threat is taken away? People don't argue over food when there is little to go around, it's only when they're lots that they start to argue over who gets what.

He stood up and walked through the corridors to where Yuna and the others waited, hoping that everything would still turn out alright.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Have you done it? Have you got the Final Aeon?" Mika asked Yuna eagerly.

"We met the Lady Yunalesca…"

"Yes?"

"And we defeated her."

Mika suddenly had the look of a man who had just had the world yanked out from under him. Suddenly his face fell, and his full age showed. "_What?"_

"There will be no more sacrifices!" Auron said.

"You fools! Now there will be no stopping Yu Yevon!" Mika screamed.

"There has to be another way to kill Sin other than the Final Aeon!" Tidus said.

Mika looked at him like he was retarded. "Sin is Yu Yevon's armour, and the only thing that can penetrate it, you have destroyed!" he shouted. He turned away from them and looked out at Bevelle from the parapet. _My beautiful city… Goodbye._

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?" Wakka asked, as pyreflies emanated from Mika body, and he dissolved into brightly coloured mist. "Coward," Wakka whispered. "So, what do we do now?" he asked.

"OK," Tidus said.

"OK what?" Wakka asked, turning to him. Then he saw Tidus wasn't looking at him, but at a piece of thin air. "Who you talking to?" he asked.

Tidus looked around. "Just, erm, myself," he said nervously. "Look, I gotta do something, I'll see you guys at the entrance, OK?" he asked, and took off, not waiting for an answer. Yuna took one look, and then ran after him.

Wakka looked at Lulu. "S'up with them?" he asked. Lulu shrugged and they began walking back to the entrance together.

Rikku caught up with Auron and stayed next to him. "Auron?" she whispered.

"Yes?" he replied, just as quietly.

"What if Mia is right?"

He barely missed a step. "He is not."

"But…"

"But nothing!" Auron said sharply. "If there is, and there _is_, then Sin is dead, and Yuna is alive If there is not, then Sin will stay, and there will be no more Calms, but Yuna will still live. Spira will live just like it always has, in fear!" he said.

Rikku looked down. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Auron suddenly stopped. He sighed. "No, I am. I just don't want to think about what would happen if he was right," Auron said.

Rikku wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. "Don't worry, he won't be. I can feel it," she replied.

"Me too," Wakka said.

Rikku turned. "You were _listening?_" she said, panic in her voice.

Wakka smiled. "I heard Auron," he said, pointing that the man, who frowned.

"I feel it too," Lulu said.

Everyone looked at each other, and smiled.

Rikku closed her eyes. _If I had the chance to do all of this again.. I could never go on the mission, I would live, and I would have a life… _

_I would never have met Auron, or Yuna, I would be dead, but I would be happy. I am happy. Would I change my decision?_

She heard footsteps, and turned to see Yuna and Tidus walk towards them, holding hands. She smiled and ran up to them. "Where'd ya go?" she asked cheerfully.

Tidus brushed it off. "Just wanted to find something out," he said offhand. "Come on, lets get out of here, this place gives me the creeps."

"I'll take that," Wakka said, and walked out of Bevelle.

Rikku left the Highbridge and stretched, looking around at Macalania forest. She smiled, then ran to Auron and grabbed his hands as the team walked toward the Calm lands, and the familiar figure of the airship sitting on the plains.

She turned to the others. "Wait," she said.

They all stopped and looked around at her.

"What is it Rikku?" Lulu asked.

She looked around at them all, in turn. "If you had another chance to make the decisions you made that brought you here, would you make different ones?" she asked.

They all stopped and thought about it.

"Whoa, deep," Wakka observed.

"Not a chance," Tidus said, looking at Yuna.

"Nor I," Khimari answered.

"Then what would we have done to pass the time between Blitz games?" Wakka asked.

Lulu punched him, and then turned to Rikku. "I never regretted any of it. Why do you ask?" she said, puzzled.

Rikku shrugged. "No reason."

_"You gonna stand there all day or are we gonna get this show on the road?" _Cid shouted from the airship ramp.

The other all walked away, all except Auron.

"What made you ask? Having doubts?" he asked.

Rikku turned to look at him. Suddenly she hugged him fiercely. "Never," she whispered strongly. "Never."

Cid was standing on the ramp as they finally arrived, and frowned when Rikku and Auron approached, still holding hands. _Tough. Get used t it._

Just before the ramp closed, and they took off, Rikku took one last look back at the land, the vast an rolling grass of the Calm Lands, the shining and reflective spikes of thee Crystal Trees, and the distant spires of Bevelle.

_Would I change my mind? _

_Not a chance._

She smiled and laughed, and then bounded up the ramp to the bridge, as the airship ascended into the sky, looking for an answer to a question that hadn't been known to have one for more than a thousand years.

_We'll find one._

_I know it. _

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

That's the shortest chapter I've written in months. Wow…


	25. Into The Beast

Pierson leaped up and punched the air. "Twenty-five chapters! ßðð¥åkå!" he shouted gleefully. 

His muse looked across at him. "How in the hell did you manage to pronounce that?" she asked him. 

Pierson blinked. "The same way you pronounce anything with weird characters in," he replied. 

"And that is…?" 

"$h££r ß|ððd¥-mind£dn£$$," he replied, beaming. 

The muse cursed under her breath. _Why did I get stuck with this guy?_ she wondered. 

"I saw you think that," Pierson muttered. 

**_Thwack_**

The next thing Pierson knew when came round; he desperately needed an ice pack. 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 25: Into The Beast**

Rikku stared at Sin, which stared back. Unconsciously she took a step back, only to bump into Auron. She turned and looked at him as if to ask; _do we have to do this?_

"Yes, we do," Auron replied to her unanswered question.

The wind blew her hair over her face as Sin grew larger, and she nervously brushed it out of her eyes, making sure her claw was ready to be drawn out in a second if she needed it. And she would.

"You won't be needing this, right?" Tidus asked.

Rikku looked over to se the boy holding a plain movie sphere in his hand and grinning. Yuna was looking at him as if she had just been told her entire family had been killed, and spluttering. Tidus grinned and took a long step back, winding up his arm and throwing the sphere into the sea of clouds below them. She glared daggers at him, but he just smiled and turned back to see Sin growing ever closer ahead of them.

"You…" Yuna began, but then she stopped and smiled at him.

Rikku giggled and turned back to Auron, who was staring ahead. Quick as a flash she reached up with her hand and stole his glasses. Again. He turned instantly and caught her hand on the way down.

"Don't make me throw you off the airship," he said stoically.

"You're kidding," Rikku said. "Right?" she asked nervously.

Auron chuckled and let go of the hands, taking the glasses with him, and placed them back on his face. "One day you'll get glasses of your own," he said sagely.

"But I want yours!" Rikku said.

"Tough."

"Guys!"

They turned, and saw the others all standing next to the edge of the ship as Sin turned side on and kept pace with them. Rikku looked up and for the first time was struck at just how tyshat _big_ the thing was. She drew her glove quickly and ran alongside with the rest. Strange… It didn't seem like it was going to…

She fell off her feet as Sin rammed the airship, and a resounding _crash_ knocked them all to their knees. Sin drew back and suddenly vanished from view as Rikku tried to clear the stars from her eyes.

"Where'd he go?" Wakka asked as the wind flew across the deck. His question was answered when half a second later everyone was suddenly airborne as Sin hit the ship from beneath, sending them back to earth with a sudden thud.

_*Kill that thing! Y ship can't take much more of this!*_ Cid's voice shouted from over the intercom.

"Easier said than done!" Wakka screamed back. He turned. "What are we gonna… _Auron!_"

Rikku whipped around to see Auron stood on the edge of the deck, calmly staring down into the clouds. Without giving any words of his intentions, he jumped off.

_"Auron!"_ Rikku screamed, and ran to the edge. She looked over to see Auron falling directly onto Sin. He landed feet first and was running up the creatures back even before his second foot had touched the ground. She watched as he ran up to what looked like some sort of giant… thing… and hit it. Hard.

Instantly Sin roared and turned, coming level with the airship, Auron riding it like some sort of demon-surfer.

"Are you coming?" he shouted to the others.

Rikku sighed in relief, then smiled and took a running jump at Sin. She flew through the air and landed on Sin's back. She stumbled for a few seconds on the edge, arms spread out. Auron caught her and hauled her back to him. They locked eyes for a few seconds, and then the others were landing among them and drawing their weaponry. Rikku sighed in exasperation and followed the others up to Sin's head.

Rikku stopped when she saw what Auron was heading towards. _What the ramm? _

Before them was some kind of bluish flower hidden behind a huge plant. With teeth.

_Why do these things keep hounding us?_ Rikku wondered as she ran forward and prepared to strike.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And _that_ is why we rock!" Rikku shouted gleefully as the grenade exploded in the centre of the huge flower-like fiend. It gave one final scream, and then its petals – or whatever – withered and the colour faded as it died, dissipating into pyreflies in front of them.

She turned to the others. "Now how do we get back up?" she asked the others. She turned to Auron. "You _had_ considered that when you jumped off right?" she asked.

"Not particularly, no," Auron said calmly.

Lulu sighed and walked back down the catatonic Sin's back. Luckily they seemed to have placated it. Now they had to figure out a way to get off, and in. She looked over the edge, and the blue sea below. She looked up suddenly. _What the…_ She looked around for fiends, but all there was were Sin's hard armour and the sky. _Then where… _

She stood back just in time as the airship reared up in front of her, scaring the living daylights out of the group.

_*You might want to get on, I don't know how long this things' gonna stay quiet!*_ Cid's voice boomed over them, as the airship pivoted and the tip of the deck rested against Sin's bulk. Without hesitating the entire team made a run for it as the airship wobbled precariously, balanced on air and subject to Sin's mercies, of which there are not a great many.

Auron caught her hand again as Rikku jumped across to the deck, glad to be back on something that wasn't made of metal or moved without the use of engines. As they did so Sin moved away, and they watched as it slowly fell down, heading straight towards Bevelle.

"Oh no…" Yuna breathed, as Sin spiralled down onto the holy city, smashing homes and old monuments as it carved a path down the mountain towards the centre of the metropolis. Then they breathed a sigh of relief when it slid to a halt barely a few hundred yards from the city centre, and did not rise.

"Did that do it?" Wakka whispered.

Rikku fell to her knees and sat on the ground, arms supporting her back. She looked up at the sky and laughed. _After all that, and we did it…_ She looked down at Sin, and could barely see the people of Bevelle leaving their homes to take a closer look at the behemoth. Rikku smiled as she saw people pointing up at the airship and cheering. She vaguely saw one blowing kisses. Then the world spun.

Everyone was thrown backwards as a wave of energy ran through the airship. Tidus jumped up and ran over to the airship, staring down at Sin, which was…

Slowly, ever so slowly, Sin was levitating off the ground. Fist the tail started to whip around, and the people scattered as it thumped down around them. Then the massive head rose, and where its arms had been huge silvery translucent wings grew from the gaping holes. Sin flew back up, and perched neatly on the top of the Bevelle temple.

"Aww…" Tidus said, as it turned to face them, watching through emotionless eyes at the airship.

Rikku turned to the intercom microphone. "Vydran! Can you use the cannons?" she asked.

_*Nope. They're busted. You're on your from own here on kiddo.* _he sent back.

"Great…" Wakka sighed. "I thought we had the thing then,"

"Obviously not," Auron said.

"We should head back and think of something else," Wakka said.

"No!" Tidus shouted. Everyone looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Lulu asked.

"When you got the ball, you gotta score! We need to finish this thing off _now!_" he said, hitting his fist into his palm. "We got this thing on it's knees, so we're gonna get rid of it once and for all." He looked around at the others. "I promised."

Auron sighed to himself. _Kids…_

Rikku saw the look on his face and turned back to the intercom. "Take us in," she said.

_*What?* _

"You heard dad, go closer!" Rikku shouted at the small microphone on the wall.

_*Fine! But don't blame me if it kills us all!*_ Cid shouted back, and clicked off the intercom.

Suddenly the ship lurched forward, and Rikku flew backwards into Auron's grasp as the ship surged towards Sin, watching them. As the massive face sprung into view it slowed, and the airship slid smoothly to a halt right in front of the thing, which opened it's mouth in reply. Rikku got a _real_ bad feeling about that.

_"Down!"_ she screamed, hoping the microphone was still receiving.

Luck, Yevon, or the Great Pumpkin must have intervened because instantly the ship slewed sideways, just as something spherical and black barrelled past where the ship had been seconds before. Rikku looked at its passage and saw that the air and clouds had been warped around it, making a hole where there was nothing. Even the clouds had huge circles cut in them. The airship swung back to face the open-mouthed Sin, and without having to be told the engines cut in and everyone hung on for dear life as they barrelled straight ahead, aiming right for Sin's face.

_*Hang on!* _

The ship crashed into Sin at several hundred miles an hour, shaking loose machinery inside the ship and shaking loose the people outside it.

Auron was braced for the impact, but it was still a shock, and the vibrations of the hull shook his hand from the deck. He slid down towards the edge of the 'roof'. He felt something grad his cloak, and looked back up to see Rikku clutching his arm with one of hers, the other still gripping the hull. She winked at him.

The airship pulled away, and they saw they had left a gaping wound in Sin's body that was leaking something blue and glowing.

_*Once more!* _Cid's voice shouted across the air, and this time Auron got hold of something more substantial as the airship rocked with the impact. This time when it withdrew Sin shuddered and sank down a few metres, not even trying to counterattack. The blue glow intensified, to the point where it was hard to look at.

_"Now! Take us in!"_ Auron shouted. The airship powered forward, and, ignoring all rational explanation and several laws of physics, flew _through_ Sin, and into the blue glow that was emanating from it.

Rikku opened her eyes again to see the ship flying through the most beautiful landscape she had ever seen. Stars glittered in the midnight sky and soft clouds whooshed past below them. She got to her feet and looked around in awe. _How could something like this be _inside_ something?_ she wondered. The others were also looking around, and they didn't see the storm until the last minute.

Rikku was the first to look ahead, and therefore the first to see the whirling hurricane of red light as it moved towards them. Before she could cry out it was upon them, and the ship was buffeted by winds that made them hang on for dear life again. They were doing that a lot recently. Inside the storm there was nothing except red light, and a familiar-feeling presence…

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Auron and Rikku looked out onto the misty landscape alone. The others were outside looking around and testing the ground.

"This is it," Rikku whispered. "We're here." She held his hand tighter ad Auron tighter and Auron understood what she was thinking.

"Rikku… you don't have to leave once we're done. Just because you are what you are doesn't mean you have to follow what others do," he said.

"But, Belgemine, Lulu's old summoner…" she began.

"Rikku, you can't leave me alone here," he whispered. "You haven't turned into a fiend, so you can damn well stick around a few more decades," he said forcefully.

Rikku hugged him. "Thank you. For everything," she whispered t him.

Auron put his hand under her chin and raised her head so she was looking right at him. "Rikku, I'll be here for you, always," he said, and kissed her.

Rikku opened her mouth as if to answer, but then he kissed her, and she closed her eyes and forgot about Sin, and Yevon, and Yuna, and everything else in the universe except for him, for a little while.

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

We're getting closer to the conclusion.


	26. You're Mine

Humour. Like logic, but different! 

I'm going to do something very mean. You'll find out what in two chapters time. 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 26: You're Mine**

They walked through Sin, their rational minds screaming at them that _this was not possible._ A place like this could not possibly exist inside a beast not even the size of a village, let alone a city. Yet as far as they looked, they saw fog and grey waterfalls, and Yevon symbols guiding them… somewhere…

Rikku shivered and hugged closer to Auron. She could see fields skulking in the distance, and even though she had seen fiends with stranger shapes and more teeth, these ones freaked her out. They seemed more, _lost, _was the only way she could describe it. The stares in their eyes were not as sharp as other fiends, and instead of attacking they just watched. It was unnerving.

"What is it?" Auron asked quietly. Even if the fiends didn't seem that hungry, no need to take chances.

"This place just scares me," she said. She saw movement to her left and her head whipped around to see a strange catlike creatures watching them, just watching, as they moved through the misty landscape.

"We're all here, you don't have to worry," he said.

"I just feel like one of us is going somewhere," she said.

Instantly Tidus' head swung around to look at her, and he opened his mouth, about to speak. Auron glared at him, and he shut it. She didn't need to know yet.

Rikku didn't see either of this, but she felt Auron move. She looked up. "Auron?" she asked.

"It was nothing, I just thought I saw a fiend," he said.

Rikku accepted this explanation without argument. This place made her quiet enough as it was.

"Did Sir Jecht do this?" Yuna whispered under her breath.

"Looks like something he would do," Tidus replied.

"But why?" Lulu asked.

"Jecht would not have wanted to us be unduly delayed by strange pathways," Auron said. He alone did not seem to be affected by the strange effect that made everyone speak in whispers. It was like trying to whistle in church. The brain told the body to do it, but the body didn't listen.

No-one spoke, until;

"That's kinda depressing," Wakka said.

Tidus glared at him, and he said no more.

"Jecht doesn't want this any more than we do," Auron said.  
As if in answer, the fog suddenly began to swirl around their feet, ebbing and flowing into recognisable shapes and patterns in the floor.

"Don't look at them," Auron whispered.

"Keyakuu," Rikku whispered, looking down at the face or her late brother, hidden in the patterns in the unholy fog. Suddenly Auron reached down and slapped her across the face. She reeled.

"What was…?"

"It's not him, don't look at the shapes. That goes for you as well Wakka," he said sharply, noticing his gaze wandering."

"What are they?" Lulu asked.

"They are the memories of those Sin has killed, and those killed by other means, taken from your memories and made real by Sin. It is like the Farplane, only designed to distract you from your goals. Don't look at them," Auron said.

On his own part, Auron was looking dead ahead towards the next floating glyph, knowing that if he looked down he would see the spectres of Jecht and Braska hovering there, waiting for him to look.

"We press on," he said quickly, and began to move, staring dead ahead at the horizon. The fiends around them followed and watched, never getting close enough to be worth fighting, but there, on the edge of their vision.

"What are they waiting for?" Yuna whispered.

"They wait for their release from Sin," Auron replied. "Everyone killed by Sin becomes a part of it, in some way. These just… more… than others."

"That's terrible," Yuna whispered.

As if responding to her words, the fog stopped swirling, the faces disappeared, and the world returned to normal. Rikku let out a deep sigh and leaned against Auron for a few seconds.

"I'm worry I slapped you," he said.

"S'OK, I understand," she whispered. She laughed. "When we get back, we're gonna have a big party, just like Tidus said we would, understood?" she said, imitating Auron's voice.

Auron smiled. "Perfectly ma'am," he said stoically.

Inside his mind was spinning. _What am I going to tell her? _

_Tell her you old fool! _

_But what if she hates you for it? _

_Idiot! She's unsent as well! How could she hate you? _

_I never told her. _

_Tidus doesn't care, and Rikku _loves_ you! The only thing she's going to hate you for is leaving her! _

_But… _

_What do you think is going to happen, when she watches you fade away, and she's left alone, betrayed by you? _

_I don't… _

_What could you possibly say that could surprise her anymore? She nearly started becoming a _fiend!

"I can't do it," Auron whispered.

"What was that Auron?" Rikku asked lightly, looking up at her lover.

Auron looked down at her, surprise on his face. Had he said that out loud? "It was nothing. I was just thinking to myself," he said.

"Liar," Rikku countered.

"It was nothing, I mean it," Auron replied. He looked up. A fiend stood directly n the path of the team, and this time it didn't look like it was going to move.

Rikku's gaze swung from Auron to the fiend and she sighed. _A Chimera, great, my favourite kind of fiend._

Wakka, Tidus and Auron drew their blades, Yuna and Lulu hanging back to support with healing spells and the medicine they had stocked up on.

To their surprise, the fiend gave no move to attack. It just stood there, all three heads – and the tail – regarding them with something like curiosity.

Auron walked up to it, blade ready in a second to swing down and slice the thing in half. The Chimera stared at him with one head, the other two fixed on Tidus and Wakka, and the tail looking at Rikku, hissing occasionally.

"Damn fiends," Wakka muttered. "Wherever we go, there they are. I swear they have some kind of transport to get to where we are first."

"SuMMonEr."

Though they had seen Sin half-blown up, Rikku dead, crystal forests and ships that flew through the air, for some reason a talking fiend was still able to faze them.

Yuna just stared at the thing, which stared back.

She felt an elbow in her side, and turned to Rikku. "Answer it," the blonde Al Bhed whispered.

Yuna looked at the beast and cleared her throat. "Yes?" she asked hesitantly.

All four of the Chimera's heads were fixed on her now. "You SeeK tHE HearT OF sIn," it said through two of its heads. The effect was unnerving, as if two people were reading different parts of the same script, and one had bronchitis, and the other a sore throat.

"I…I do," Yuna said, more confidently this time.

"yoU May PASs."

Yuna blinked. Out of everything, she had expected a fiend to _give_ her its permission to travel through its territory. They were more into gunboat diplomacy then anything else.

"Thank you," she managed to say.

"Don'T MentIoN iT," the Chimera said, and wandered off again. They watched it leave and disappear back into the fog. Almost at once the fiends that had been dogging their heels since the airship snarled then bounded off into the distance, away from them.

"That was... unusual…" Wakka managed.

"Don't count your Chocobos," Auron stated, and walked on.

Soon they came in front of something that had frankly no reason to be here.

"Anymore than lots of fog, fiends, and a place the size of Luca, does?" Rikku asked when Wakka made his observation.

"Yeah, but… _stairs?_" Wakka said, gesturing at the object in question.

Before them stood a flight of stairs that lead upwards out of the fog. On either side was a burning torch that flickered in an unseen wind.

"The stairs are here, so we go up them, that's logic," Tidus chipped in.

Auron grumbled in exasperation at Wakka's stubborn refusal to accept the existence of stairs, and proved him wrong my promptly walking up them, Rikku following.

Wakka sighed. "Can they do that?" he asked.

"Wakka, these are stairs, deal with them," Lulu said, and followed.

Wakka took one look at the stairs and tentatively placed one foot on the bottom one. When the universe failed to dissolve around him he placed the other foot on. When the universe still showed no sign up upping the sticks and leaving he followed after the others.

He _really_ hated this place.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rikku stood, weapon out, and an expression on her face that could have melted glass and made charging Behemoths freeze and reconsider trying to eat this particular person.

"Seymour," she said quietly, and both syllables were full of enough poison to knock out a Blitzball team.

"My dear Rikku. And Lady Yuna!" Seymour said brightly.

"I thought we finished you off at Gagazet," Tidus said, drawing his sword. Wakka and Auron did the same. The Maester seemed unperturbed however.

"So you made it this far?" he said. "I must thank you. Now that the Lady Yunalesca has been destroyed, the only means of killing Sin has forever gone. We are invincible!"

"Sin absorbed you!" Tidus shouted.

Seymour shrugged. "I can learn to control it from within. I have all the time in the world!" he shouted.

Tidus snarled and took one step forward, sword out and ready to swing. Rikku stopped him before he had taken two steps.

"He's mine," she said, and Tidus knew better than to argue.

Seymour smiled as Rikku walked up to him and faced him. He shook his head. "You could have had so much Rikku. We could have been together. Instead you go with this gutter-trash," he said, pointing at Auron.

"If he's that, then that makes you the thing's that crawl _around_ in the gutter," Rikku said, and ran at him.

It was almost pitifully easy. Seymour raised his staff and tried to fire a beam of lightning at Rikku, but she ducked under it without stopping and smashed her Godhand into his face. Seymour reeled backwards and just stared. He snarled and raised his staff to strike her, but she merely raised her hand and the staff caught on the spikes. She pirouetted and the Maester's weapon was pulled out of his grip, flying away into the darkness beyond the plateau they stood on. Without it he was merely a badly defended target, and she treated him as such.

Seymour lay on the ground, one hand clutching his heart where the holes from Rikku's glove had punctured his chest, the other supporting him on the floor. He looked up at Rikku. "I didn't… this can't be… I was supposed to live forever," he gasped.

Rikku merely stared down at him. Wordlessly she held out her hand, and without speaking Auron held out his sword to her. She took it, not even noticing the weight of the thing, and held it over her head.

Seymour looked up. "You could have had everything." he whispered. "We could have been together."

Rikku snarled and swung the sword over her shoulder. She struck once, and once was all it took.

"Missing you already," she whispered, as the Maester's body disappeared into the air around them, the pyreflies already fading on their journey to the Farplane, where she had no doubt he would receive a… heartfelt… greeting.

She turned back to the others, and lifted the sword up, slamming it into the ground point first, where it vibrated for a few seconds. The others just stared back. They had never seen so much hatred so… _concentrated. _

Rikku turned back to the others, took a deep breath, and smiled.

"Well? Shall we go on?"

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

Ah, finally she gets her revenge. Excellent. ^_^


	27. The Heart Of Sin

Only a few left now… 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 27: The Heart Of Sin**

"And now a city?" Wakka said incredulously, as huge buildings soared around them.

"Don't start that again," Tidus groaned.

"I'm just saying ya?" Wakka said. "Cities just don't…"

Then no more sound came from him. His mouth moved, but the words didn't form. Wakka frowned and looked across at Lulu, who had subtly placed a Silence spell on him. Wakka just stared at her in disbelief, and then started to shout at her. At least, he tried to. The others fell about laughing while Wakka just stood there screaming noiselessly at the Black Mage. They got the feeling he was shouting some quite nasty things at her.

"Let him go," Auron grumbled.

Lulu looked as if he had just spoiled the best fun she had ever had, and clicked her fingers.

"…And another thing!" Wakka shouted. His eyes widened in surprise and he stopped shouting. They burst out laughing, and then stopped instantly when something whispered from behind one of the buildings.

"What was that?" Rikku whispered, making sure her glove was in easy reach.

"I don't know and I don't actually want to find out," Tidus said quietly.

"We move on," Auron said.

As they walked through the city-cum-illusion, Yuna was struck by how much it reminded her of Bevelle and Luca, with all the colours drained from it, and she remarked this.

"Reminds _me_ of Zanarkand more than anything else," Tidus said. The tall buildings and harsh corners reminded him of home.

Rikku didn't say anything, but the shapes and machina-look of it reminded her of Home.

"It is designed like that. Sin is just one big collection of pyreflies and lost souls, and when they gather in great enough numbers things like _this_," he tapped the wall, which made a hollow-sounding noise, "are formed from them. Think of the inside of Sin as one big Farplane and you have it," he said.

"You know an awful lot about this place," Tidus said.

Auron chuckled. "I had to travel to Zanarkand in it, remember? Of course, it looked a lot different then. It changes according to the person who is looking."

"Kinda like; the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder?" Wakka asked. The others looked at him. "What? Am I not allowed to make an observation once in a while?" he asked.

"He is correct in any case," Auron said. Wakka beamed.

They moved silently through Sin City (AN: Not a reference to Saigon), their hands close to their weapons and so tense that they could have held onto a pneumatic drill and made _it_ go still. If even a harmless spider had stirred in the shadows it would have been in serious danger of being fried by a well-placed Flare.

When an attack _did_ come, it was a relief, and they fell on the unfortunate subject like the Wrath of Sin, alternately blasting and freezing the thing until it died or crawled away.

Rikku swung around the giant creature and dodged around its large feet/hands/dreadlocks, swinging her glove at its side. To her disappointment her glove just bounced off the armour that surrounded it, and she had to duck to avoid a swing from the appendages.

Auron ran in and swung at its now-unprotected belly, his huge sword gouging the carapace for a good few inches. It roared in pain and turned to him, but he ran backwards out of its reach. It roared again, and suddenly it's arms swung inwards. Its stomach just _popped_ open, and Yuna's eyes widened as a glowing white sphere flew upwards and towards them. Rikku dived for cover behind the nearest building as the mortar exploded amongst the group, sending shards of tile and metal everywhere. She heard a scream, and turned to see Yuna clutching her stomach, blood oozing from a deep gash across her midriff. As she watched the summoner closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. A soft blue glow flowed through her arm and across the wound, sealing it and cleaning it at the same time.

Lulu's eyes narrowed as she dropped her Mog onto the floor.

_Oh crap._

She ran for it, and dived just as a massive green explosion appeared, right where the beast had been. She hit the floor and rolled, running away as the Ultima spell disintegrated, tore apart and incinerated the thing all of once. She felt something hot and liquid fly over her head and make a wet _slap_ against the wall in front of her. She ducked and tired to make herself as small as possible as the after-effects of the spell faded, and the noise of a thousand grenades exploding faded, leaving a ringing in her ears, and bits of fiend all over the landscape.

Tidus ran over to Yuna, who still had one hand over her ruined dress. It was covered in blood, both hers and the monsters, and would need cleaning. "Are you OK?" he asked, bending down and helping her to her feet.

"I'm… fine," Yuna whispered through clenched teeth.

Tidus looked across at Auron, who looked back and nodded.

Auron turned to the others. "We rest up here for a few hours," he said.

"But we're so close!" Wakka said.

Auron looked at him. "Sin isn't going anywhere. And even if it did, we're in it," he said, and looked for the nearest price of rock that didn't have bits of fiend splattered all over it.

Rikku wandered over from behind her building and sat down next to Auron, leaning her head against Auron's shoulder. "You know this t-shirt was white when I joined up with you," she whispered, pointing at her red and dripping t-shirt.

"What happened?" Auron asked quickly, turning to face Rikku an checking her for wounds.

Rikku shrugged. "I was a little too close when the fiend exploded," she said offhand. She grinned and suddenly shook her arm in his face. Blood flew off her and scattered across Auron's face. He quickly took a step backwards and looked at her.

"Not funny," he said, brushing blood from his eyes.

"I think it was," Rikku said. She laughed. "Now you've got red streaks all down your face."

"Your playfulness will be your undoing," Auron said dramatically.

"And your stuffiness will be the death of you!!" Rikku said, smiling.

Suddenly Auron lurched forward and run his hand down Rikku's hand, and flicked it in her face. She blinked at him.

"I can't believe you just did that!" she exclaimed. Quickly she flicked her wrist at him, but he ducked, and the now semi-liquid blood hit Wakka in the face. He spluttered and fell backwards off the fallen pillar he had been sitting on.

He got up and stared at them. "Guys!"

"Sorry Wakka," Rikku said, waving sheepishly at him. She turned back to Auron. "That was your fault."

He looked surprised. "_My_ fault? You threw it!"

"But you ducked."

"But you got soaked by the blood."

"But the fiend exploded."

They looked at each other for a few seconds, then;

"Lulu's fault?"

"Definitely."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They walked through the innards of Sin; now rested and healed up from what seemed like days or walking through city, but what had actually been a couple of hours.

Slowly they moved towards the huge tower in the distance, Tidus seeming reluctant to continue as it grew. No fiends attacked them here, and the air had a stale, almost deathly, quality to it, that made them glance behind them every few steps in case something waited to pull them back away from their goal.

Yuna grasped Tidus hand as they walked through scenery that increasingly remained him of his old home in Zanarkand. The semi-circle in the corner over there, the way certain buildings were put together, the way light – what light there was – bounced around the walls and illuminated the darkness around them.

Rikku stared around her at the grim place. If Tidus' father had to live in here day in day out she could see why he was making it so easy for them. And there was something else… Whenever she looked at Auron she got a feeling of _sadness_. Love as well of course, but she couldn't help but shiver, as If he was going somewhere. It scared her.

They approached the huge tower, and Tidus felt an incredibly strong urge to step away from it, turn, and run like hell back to the airship. But he couldn't. He couldn't run away, not now, not when he was so close to ending this.

"We finish this today," Auron said, seeing his hesitation.

"I know," Tidus said. He took a deep breath and drew his sword. "I'm ready," he said.

"Good." Without another word, he stepped forward and touched the large glowing glyph at the base of the tower. Instantly he vanished. The others drew back suddenly. Then Rikku took a deep breath and ran at it, hitting it with her fist. She also vanished.

"Erm, do we gotta do that to?" Wakka asked.

"Unless you want to stay behind," Lulu said, and walked into the glyph.

Wakka sighed in exasperation and followed on. Khimari, ever silent, followed them. Only Yuna and Tidus were left, staring at the tower where the others had disappeared.

"Are you coming?" Yuna asked.

He looked at her. _I want to, but I don't want to leave you._ "…Yeah," he said. Together the two teenagers walked forwards. She put her hand in his, and the two touched the glyph together.

Instantly the world faded from view, and they got the sensation of _rushing_ down something. Suddenly the world snapped back into view. They looked around, and saw everyone standing in front of them, staring at a figure in the distance, the old Zanarkand Blitzball stadium behind him, coated in fire. Yuna looked around and saw Zanarkand surrounding them, lights off, sitting there like some sleeping swarm of bats.

Tidus however had eyes only for the figure.

"You're late Auron," Jecht said.

"Sorry," the guardian replied.

Jecht turned to face the guardian, and his eyes widened when he saw Auron gripping the hand of a small blonde girl. He just stared, and then he started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Rikku asked.

Jecht wiped the tears from his eyes. "Congratulations girl, even Braska never managed to crack through that shell of Auron's!" He turned his head, and saw Tidus glaring at him. "Hey," he said, instantly serious again.

"Hi," Tidus said.

Jecht looked his son up and down. He grinned. "You got big but you're all bones! Auron been feeding you right?" he asked.

"Dad…"

"Yeah?"

"I hate you," Tidus said simply.

Jecht sighed, and they saw his face fall. "I know. Listen, we're going to have to finish this."

Auron drew his sword, and the scraping it made was the loudest noise they could hear.

Jecht turned back to Rikku. "So, you and him?" he asked nervously.

"Yes," Rikku said simply, grasping Auron's other hand.

"Then tell one thing, please," Jecht said, holding up one finger.

"What?" Rikku asked.

"You probably don't want to go for a drink after all this is over?" Jecht asked.

"She's taken," Auron said, smiling. _Some people never change…_

"Shame, she's cute. Nice going Auron!" Jecht said, winking at the older man. Auron rolled his eyes and Jecht became serious again. "We gonna do this?" he asked, and turned away from them, walking to the edge of the platform and staring out at the vision of the ruined stadium.

"I suppose…" Tidus said. He reluctantly drew his sword.

Jecht didn't even turn around. "One last thing, when I change, I won't be able to hold back. No freebies this time around."

"_That's enough!_" Tidus shouted. "Lets just finish this," he said, with tears in his eyes.

"Yeah…"

Jecht turned around, and they saw that his eyes were glowing.

"Then lets _go!_"

And he changed.

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

We're so very, very close now.


	28. One Last Kiss

Looky! FFnet works again!

There are two endings to this story. You are reading one. The other will be posted on rpclassics (look on my profile for the address) 

The two are different, and the second will only appear on that site. Find and read them both. ^_^ 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 28: One Last Kiss**

Rikku and Auron stared as Yuna twirled around on the roof of the old stadium, dress and ribbons whirling in the air as she performed the final sending Spira would see for a long time.

"Is it over?" she asked, barely daring to believe it.

"It's over," Auron replied softly. He felt Rikku's hand grip his tighter and his heart was almost torn in two.

"What now?" she asked.

_Now? You go back to your life. I have nothing to keep me here any longer, except you…_ "I don't know," he whispered.

Rikku looked up at him. "Are you OK?" she asked, concern in her voice. "You seem a little sad."

Auron lied. "Jecht was a good friend, I regret his death." _I should have told you earlier, but I was a coward, and I don't dare._

Rikku hugged him. "I understand. I miss my friends as well."

_We have to go Auron._

Auron looked across at Wakka. "What?" he asked.

Wakka looked back and shrugged. "I didn't say anything," he said, puzzled.

Auron frowned, he could have sworn…

_Auron, this isn't our place anymore,_ Jecht's voice whispered through his head.

"But I don't want to go," he whispered to the air fiercely.

"Sir Auron, we have to, we can't be here when Sin is sent," Yuna said.

Auron looked at her and realised that he had spoken the last few words aloud, and the others were moving towards a blue cloud of light at the opposite end of the platform. He looked back at Yuna. "I apologise, my mind was drifting," he said, and walked slowly towards the 'exit', Rikku gripping his hand.

They moved through Sin silently, mesmerised as fiends that had once attacked them from miles away just sat and turned to brightly coloured dust before them. Soon it was as if they were walking amongst some kind of moving and swirling rainbow, the pyreflies floating away to the Farplane, carrying the souls of those killed by Sin as they were finally freed from it's thrall.

"What's wrong?" she asked, as they walked through the maze of mist and lights.

Auron looked down at the look of worry on her face. _She knows something is wrong. _

_How do I explain? _

_You'll have to sooner or later. _

_But what if… _

It's too late to change anything. The last thing she deserves is to see you leave suddenly, without any warning.

"Rikku?" Auron began.

"Yes?" Rikku asked quickly.

"There's something I need to tell you," he said quietly.

Suddenly Rikku looked ahead and smiled. Auron turned and saw the familiar sight of the airship ahead of them. She smiled at him and ran towards the airship. She turned back and laughed. "Tell me when we're out of this place!" she shouted, and ran onto the ship.

Auron sighed and followed. This was not getting any easier.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They looked around, shielding their eyes from the glare of the lights, as around them the Aeons dissolved into dust. Rikku wiped tears from her eyes as creatures she remembered fondly helping them in battle and protecting them from their enemies disintegrated in some kind of obscene fireworks show. Although she wasn't too sad to see Shiva go, that woman had always given her the creeps, and Ifrit seemed to be staring at her, roaring, and then they both went, to wherever it is Aeons go to… die? She looked across at Auron.

_She looks so happy, what am I supposed to tell her? _

_The truth. _

"What is it you want to tell me?" she asked cheerily. "Auron?" she asked.

Auron just stared at her, not speaking. _I can't do it._

"Auron, what is it?" she asked.

Tidus looked at Auron. "We should go," he whispered.

Rikku whirled on him. "Go where?" she asked, puzzled.

Tidus' eyes widened. "You didn't tell her?" he asked. Then he slapped his hand over his mouth. _Oops._

"Tell me what?" Rikku asked Auron, panic in her voice, as Yuna danced on.

"Rikku, I-"

"Auron, what's going on?" she asked.

"Rikku, there's something I need to tell you," he said.

"What?" she asked, walking up to him.

Yuna finished her dance, and turned to look behind her. She saw the team talking, and the others looking on, wondering what was happening, and Tidus watching Auron, unsmiling.

She saw Rikku's eyes widen, and the girl turned to look at Tidus, saying something to him. Rikku turned back to Auron, tears in her eyes, and shout something at him. She had a pretty good idea what. The others looked shocked, and Rikku fell to her knees in front of Auron, and started weeping.

"How could you?" she whispered.

Auron knelt down next to her. "I'm sorry," he said. He didn't know what else to say.

Rikku looked up at him. "Let me go with you," she pleaded.

Auron took off his glasses, and for the first time anyone else had seen, he looked at her directly. "Rikku, you have a life here," he said. He took hold of her face and lifted it so their eyes met, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You have all your life ahead of you, you can't leave now.

"But I want to be with you," she said.

"Rikku…"

"No! Auron, you're not going!" she whispered through sobs.

"Rikku, I have to."

"Why? Give me one good reason to leave!" she screamed at him. "You've got at least _one_ good one to stay here!"

"Auron, we have to go now," Tidus whispered. He looked across at Yuna, who was staring back with much the same expression as Rikku. He cringed. At least she had some warning. Rikku had nothing.

"You can't just_ go!_ Not now, not after everything!" Rikku shouted, getting up and backing away from Auron.

"I'm sorry," Auron whispered. He began to glow with an inner light, and pyreflies came out of his body. "I can't stay any more."

"Don't leave me like this," she begged.

Auron took one last look at Rikku and turned, closing his eyes. He felt his body weaken, and he felt the now-irresistible tug of the Farplane, and peace.

Suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder, and he was turned on the spot. Rikku clasped her arms around his waist and kissed him, tears streaming from her eyes. Auron kissed back, wrapping his arms around her, and not letting go.

She disengaged her lips from his for a second. "E muja oui," she whispered softly.

"I love you too," Auron whispered, and pressed his lips back against hers, praying this moment could last forever.

Rikku opened her eyes when Auron's grip suddenly weakened, and she watched as his body suddenly became transparent, and then there was a bright flash of light, and she got one last look at his face before he disappeared, and then all she was holding in her arms were pyreflies heading for the Farplane. She fell to her knees and stared at them as they flew into the sky.

"One day I'll follow you," she whispered to the sky through her tears. "One day…" _Why did he have to go?_ she wondered.

Rikku hardly saw the conversation between Tidus and Yuna, and was only vaguely aware that he had also left. She knew that later the event would come back with full force and _demand_ her attention, but right now she couldn't think about anyone else but _him._

The airship began to turn slowly, and began the long flight back to Bevelle, considerably lighter then when they had arrived at the beast.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Yuna smiling softly at her.

"Auron would have wanted to tell you," she said. "He just didn't want to hurt you."

"Nice try," Rikku spat.

"Rikku, he wouldn't want you to spend your life wasting away for him."

"I don't want to live if he isn't here with me," she replied.

"Rikku, if you try and hang onto something, it only slips away faster," Yuna whispered, voice wavering.

Rikku turned to Yuna and smiled when she saw the look on her face. "You look like cred," she whispered.

"I'll assume that isn't good," Yuna said.

Rikku smiled, and then hugged her cousin, crying into her shoulder softly, as Yuna did the same into hers, as they both wept for lost dreams.

Rikku pulled back and stared at Yuna. "Thanks," she whispered.

"You too," the summoner – now ex-summoner – replied.

They turned to look out at the sky as the clouds whipped by beneath then. Rikku took one look back at the cloud of dissipating lights that were the only remaining presence of Sin, the aeons, and her love.

One day, Auron.

She smiled and turned back, seeing the look on the others faces, and knowing what they were thinking; _we beat it._ She smiled, and said a silent prayer to the cloud of pyreflies as they vanished into the night.

But not yet.

Not yet.

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

And that is it.

Before you ask, there is _not_ a direct sequel to this fic, as it runs into my pet universe. A semi-sequel _is_ already out, **Echoes of the Past**, but it is itself a sequel to **Diamond Dust**, and so carries on from that. **Echoes** is then the sequel to _both_ fics. Go read it. ^_-

**Thanks to: **

**Shabaman**, even though he insulted Rin once. Don't do I again.

**Loki, Harbinger of Death**, for helping convince me to keep this going.

**An Anonymous Tipster**, for the best profile ever, and still reading against better judgement.

**Zellfire**, for the reminder. ^_-

**J.P. Clark**, the only one to review chapter 1.

**Ater Serpens**, confirming my originality. Ahhh… that's better…

**fsfa**, for a good point.

**Psychofoxx**, for letting my keep within character boundaries.

**Kayko and Amay**, for support! Yay!

**Blurry**, same again. Thanks for the moral help!

**unknown_person**, for hating Seymour. That bastard.

**Rinny Leonhart / Rikku**, for staying with me!

**M. Stygianstar**, for some things I missed. Stupid author me…

**PnkPanther9**, for feeding my ego!

**Vunujan**, for going against the world. Lost, but got me thinking. Maybe next time…

**Tikiru**, making me hesitate. Very hard to do. Maybe Seyku lovers will get their wish.

**Dragon Scales**, go for the burn! Hehe…

**Mana Angel**, who put me in favs list! Hooray! 

**aurons-girl-18**, informing me of ffnet's humongous screwup. Damn ffnet…

**tuatha danaan**, even though ffnet's screwups, still thought it was good.

**Jewels 14**, more ego-food. I need it. #_#

**yunalesca78**, stepping up to the plate of our insanity and slapping us in the face. You go!

**Evrae Altana**, confirming my collness for the day. I'm insecure, and need reassuring often…

**Nano**, dying, on a caffeine high no less. ^_^

**a n g e l . w 1 n g**, for loving Aurikkus. If I can convince one, then my job is complete.

**CardMistress Sakura**, being unable to wait. Well, you no longer have to.

**Hana the Wreck**, for putting me in fav authors! And admitting it! Yay!

**Era Yachi**, for resisting the temptations of sleep to read.

**Starlight4u**, for letting me know my humour worked

**Guardian Storm Demon**, grammer checking! All good? Woohoo!

**Auron's Biggest Fan**, for making an Aurikku site! Tell me the address when you do!

**Kamela**, for nearly crying at one point (maybe). I have that effect on people. ^_-

**arcander**, for confirming my cuteness credibility.

**Tsuki no Tenshi**, yet more grist to the mill of my ego. Keep it comin'

**Vivi 26**, for editing, talking, and his fic.

**Artemis-chan**, for making me sure I wasn't being very obvious in my surprises.

**frodos girl**, for loving Tonberries. Maybe a fic one day?

**Rocker Baby**, being better late than never eh?

**Kate**, showing my word-making-up skills to the world.

**Ruki The Sake Fairy**, losing a chunk of her life to this fic.

**Corlan Windwatcher**, for agreeing with another. I forgot about that bit…

**Myeerah**, also, better late than never. ^_-

**Aqua Phoenix**, for clapping!

**Special Thanks to: **

** **

**Rin**, for being my Sorceress. Whatever I did to deserve you I must have forgotten it. Love you. 

**Refugee**, for putting up with me and my crazy ideas for fics. Thanks bro ^_-

**Alexia**, for being here for me the longest, before anyone else. Love you too. *watches for falling sandbags*

**Angelus**, for the artwork I always forget about. Sorry girl. Kill me if you wish, I won't mind much.

**Miss Black Dragon**, for feedback, editing, someone to confide in. Loads basically.

**Deathalleta**, for sticking with this fic from the beginning, and not letting go.

**Tears Of Stardust**, for being willing to talk.

**nakigoe-chan**, for being the most consistently kind and sane person here (that includes you Rin) and helping me out in the face of my stupidity.


	29. The Alternate sadish Ending

All right, since I got something like fifty e-mails asking for it (and you couldn't just go to RPGclassics, could you?) I'm posting the alternate ending here as well. Happy now? 

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

**Darkness Falls **

**Chapter 28: The Dead Rest**

Rikku and Auron stared as Yuna twirled around on the roof of the old stadium, dress and ribbons whirling in the air as she performed the final sending Spira would see for a long time.

"Is it over?" she asked, barely daring to believe it.

"It's over," Auron replied softly. He felt Rikku's hand grip his tighter and his heart was almost torn in two.

"What now?" she asked.

_Now? You go back to your life. I have nothing to keep me here any longer, except you…_ "I don't know," he whispered.

Rikku looked up at him. "Are you OK?" she asked, concern in her voice. "You seem a little sad."

Auron lied. "Jecht was a good friend, I regret his death." _I should have told you earlier, but I was a coward, and I don't dare._

Rikku hugged him. "I understand. I miss my friends as well."

_We have to go Auron._

Auron looked across at Wakka. "What?" he asked.

Wakka looked back and shrugged. "I didn't say anything," he said, puzzled.

Auron frowned, he could have sworn…

_Auron, this isn't our place anymore,_ Jecht's voice whispered through his head.

"But I don't want to go," he whispered to the air fiercely.

"Sir Auron, we have to, we can't be here when Sin is sent," Yuna said.

Auron looked at her and realised that he had spoken the last few words aloud, and the others were moving towards a blue cloud of light at the opposite end of the platform. He looked back at Yuna. "I apologise, my mind was drifting," he said, and walked slowly towards the 'exit', Rikku gripping his hand.

They moved through Sin silently, mesmerised as fiends that had once attacked them from miles away just sat and turned to brightly coloured dust before them. Soon it was as if they were walking amongst some kind of moving and swirling rainbow, the pyreflies floating away to the Farplane, carrying the souls of those killed by Sin as they were finally freed from it's thrall.

"What's wrong?" she asked, as they walked through the maze of mist and lights.

Auron looked down at the look of worry on her face. _She knows something is wrong. _

_How do I explain? _

_You'll have to sooner or later. _

_But what if… _

It's too late to change anything. The last thing she deserves is to see you leave suddenly, without any warning.

"Rikku?" Auron began.

"Yes?" Rikku asked quickly.

"There's something I need to tell you," he said quietly.

Suddenly Rikku looked ahead and smiled. Auron turned and saw the familiar sight of the airship ahead of them. She smiled at him and ran towards the airship. She turned back and laughed. "Tell me when we're out of this place!" she shouted, and ran onto the ship.

Auron sighed and followed. This was not getting any easier.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They looked around, shielding their eyes from the glare of the lights, as around them the Aeons dissolved into dust. Rikku wiped tears from her eyes as creatures she remembered fondly helping them in battle and protecting them from their enemies disintegrated in some kind of obscene fireworks show. Although she wasn't too sad to see Shiva go, that woman had always given her the creeps, and Ifrit seemed to be staring at her, roaring, and then they both went, to wherever it is Aeons go to die. She looked across at Auron.

_She looks so happy, what am I supposed to tell her? _

_The truth. _

"What is it you want to tell me?" she asked cheerily. "Auron?" she asked.

Auron just stared at her, not speaking. _I can't do it._

"Auron, what is it?" she asked.

Tidus looked at Auron. "We should go," he whispered.

Rikku whirled on him. "Go where?" she asked, puzzled.

Tidus' eyes widened. "You didn't tell her?" he asked. Then he slapped his hand over his mouth. _Oops._

"Tell me what?" Rikku asked Auron, panic in her voice, as Yuna danced on.

"Rikku, I-"

"Auron, what's going on?" she asked.

"Rikku, there's something I need to tell you," he said.

"What?" she asked, walking up to him.

Yuna finished her dance, and turned to look behind her. She saw the team talking, and the others looking on, wondering what was happening, and Tidus watching Auron, unsmiling.

She saw Rikku's eyes widen, and the girl turned to look at Tidus, saying something to him. Rikku turned back to Auron, tears in her eyes, and shout something at him. She had a pretty good idea what. The others looked shocked, and Rikku fell to her knees in front of Auron, and started weeping.

"How could you?" she whispered.

Auron knelt down next to her. "I'm sorry," he said. He didn't know what else to say.

Rikku looked up at him. "Let me go with you," she said.

Auron took off his glasses, and for the first time anyone else had seen, he looked at her directly. "Rikku, you have a life here," he said. He took hold of her face and lifted it so their eyes met, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You have all your life ahead of you, you can't leave now.

"But I want to be with you," she said.

"Rikku…"

"No! Auron, you're not going!" she whispered through sobs.

"Rikku, I have to."

"Why? Give me one good reason!" she shouted at him. "You've got at least _one_ good one to stay here!"

"Rikku, we have t go now," Tidus whispered. He looked across at Yuna, who was staring back with much the same expression as Rikku. He cringed. At least she had some warning. Rikku had nothing.

"You can't just_ go!_ Not now, not after everything!" Rikku shouted, getting up and backing away from Auron.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Auron began to glow with an inner light, and pyreflies came out of his body. "I can't stay any more."

"Don't leave me like this," she whispered.

Auron took one last look at Rikku and turned, closing his eyes. He felt his body weaken, and he felt the now-irresistible tug of the Farplane, and peace.

Suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder, and he was turned on the spot. Rikku clasped her arms around his waist and kissed him, tears streaming from her eyes. Auron kissed back, wrapping his arms around her, and not letting go.

She disengaged her lips from his for a second. "E muja oui," she whispered softly.

"I love you too," Auron whispered, and pressed his lips back against hers, praying this moment could last forever. He became transparent, and Rikku's hand fell from around his shoulder as he faded into darkness. He turned to face away from her, not wanting to look at her face, and walked to the edge of the ship, staring out at the Calm Lands as

In that moment, Rikku made her decision. She turned to Yuna and the others. "I'm sorry. Goodbye," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "I'll see you all someday."

Yuna just nodded.

"We'll miss you both," Lulu whispered.

"Take care," said Wakka.

Auron sighed and closed his eyes, ready to leave this world. He vaguely heard Rikku say something to the others, but he didn't hear what it was. Then…

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Blinking in surprise, he turned to see Rikku smiling softly at him. _How did she…_ Then he looked, and saw that her hand was translucent, and pyreflies were also flying out of her.

"Because I won't stay if you don't," Rikku whispered.

"But you…"

"I never regretted anything, and I won't regret this either," she said. She leant forward and kissed him again. He kissed back, and they forgot everything around them as the world turned white, and they made their final journey together.

The last view, before the pyreflies obscured the pair, was of Auron and Rikku locked in a kiss. The pyreflies sped up their paths, and a bright flash of light blinded the others as Rikku and Auron travelled to the Farplane together, the pyreflies weaving and dancing around each other as they disappeared into the beyond.

**_____________________________________________________________________ **

The end. Again.


End file.
